m*D 
Kover  r>oys 

At  College 


ma 


ARTHUR  M.WINFIELD 


"  HOI,D   IT  UP.  OR   THEY'LI,   AI.I,   BE 
Tht  Rover  Soys  at  College. 


90. 


THE  ROVER  BOYS 
AT  COLLEGE 

OR 

THE  RICHT  ROAD  AND  THE  WRONG 

BY 

ARTHUR  M.  WINFIELD 

(Edward  Stratemeyer) 

AUTHOR  OF  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL,  THE 

ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  OCEAN,  THE  PUTNAM 

HALL  SERIES,  ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW    YORK 

GROSSET    &    DUNLAP 
PUBLISHERS 

Made  in  the  UrJtctl  State*  of  America 


BOOKS  BY  ARTHUR  M.  WINFIELD 

(Edward  Stratemeyer) 


THE  FIRST  ROVER  BOYS  SERIES 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  OCEAN 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  JUNGLE 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  OUT  WEST 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  GREAT  LAKES 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  CAMP 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  LAND  AND  SEA 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  RIVER 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  PLAINS 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  SOUTHERN  WATERS 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  FARM 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  TREASURE  ISLE 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  DOWN  EAST 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  AIR 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  NEW  YORK 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  ALASKA 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  BUSINESS 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 


THE  SECOND  ROVER  BOYS  SERIES 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLBY  HALL 


THE  PUTNAM  HALL  SERIES 

THE  PUTNAM  HALL  CADETS 
THE  PUTNAM  HALL  RIVALS 
THE  PUTNAM  HALL  CHAMPIONS 
THE  PUTNAM  HALL  REBELLION 
THE  PUTNAM  HALL  ENCAMPMENT 
THE  PUTNAM  HALL  MYSTERY 


I2mo.    Cloth.    Illustrated. 


GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,  Publishers,  New  York 


COPYRIGHT,  1910,  BY 

EDWARD  STRATEMEYER 
The  Rover  Boys  at  College 


INTRODUCTION 

MY  DEAR  BOYS:  This  is  a  complete  story  in 
itself,  but  forms  the  fourteenth  volume  of  the 
"Rover  Boys  Series  for  Young  Americans." 

I  started  this  series  eleven  years  ago  with  the 
publication  of  the  first  three  volumes,  called  "The 
Rover  Boys  at  School,"  "On  the  Ocean"  and  "In 
the  Jungle."  I  hoped  the  stories  would  be  liked 
by  the  young  folks,  but  I  did  not  anticipate  such 
a  tremendously  enthusiastic  welcome  as  was  ac- 
corded them.  The  publication  of  the  third  volume 
called  for  a  fourth,  "The  Rover  Boys  Out  West," 
and  then  followed  "On  the  Great  Lakes,"  "In  the 
Mountains,"  "In  Camp,"  "On  Land  and  Sea," 
"On  the  River,"  "On  the  Plains,"  "In  Southern 
Waters,"  "On  the  Farm"  and  then  "On  Treasure 
Isle." 

For  years  the  three  brothers,  Dick,  Tom  and 
Sam,  had  attended  a  military  academy  called  Put- 
nam Hall.  But  now  their  school  days  at  that 
place  were  at  an  end,  and  in  the  present  volume 
we  find  them  going  to  college  to  finish  their  «; 


2076537 


INTRODUCTION 

cations  and  fit  themselves  for  their  various  sta- 
tions in  life.  They  are  a  bit  older  than  they  were, 
but  just  as  wideawake  and  full  of  fun  as  ever,  and 
just  as  determined  to  make  records  for  themselves. 
,  They  give  a  helping  hand  to  some  other  students, 
help  to  win  a  famous  football  game,  and  thwart 
the  efforts  of  some  enemies  who  plot  to  get  them 
into  serious  trouble.  They  also  meet  some  of  their 
old  girl  friends,  the  Lanings  and  Dora-  Stanhope, 
and — but  perhaps  I  had  better  let  that  part  of  tht 
story  tell  itself  in  the  pages  that  follow. 

Once  again  I  thank  my  young  friends  for  all 
the  nice  things  they  have  said  about  these  books, 
and  I  also  thank  the  older  folks  who  have  said 
that  they  have  read  and  enjoyed  the  stories.  I 
trust  the  present  volume  will  fulfil  every  reason- 
able expectation.  And  here's  a  handshake  all 
around. 

Affectionately  and  sincerely  yours, 

EDWARD  STRATEMEYER. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I  ON  THE  TRAIN I 

II  AT  THE  SANDERSON  HOUSE 14 

III  LIKE  KNIGHTS  OF  OLD 24 

IV  WHAT  HAPPENED  AT  THE  CAMPUS  FENCE 35 

V  GETTING  ACQUAINTED 46 

VI  A  HAZING,  AND  WHAT  FOLLOWED 56 

VII  THE  ARRIVAL  OF  SONGBIRD 67 

VIII  THE  COLORS  CONTEST 78- 

IX  TOM  IN  TROUBLE 89 

X  SONGBIRD  MAKES  A  DISCOVERY 99 

XI  How  TOM  ESCAPED  PUNISHMENT 109- 

XII  IN  WHICH  THE  GIRLS  ARRIVE 120 

XIII  THE  ROWING  RACE 131 

XIV  WILLIAM  PHILANDER  TUBES 142 

XV  AN  AUTOMOBILING    ADVENTURE 153 

XVI  SOMETHING  ABOUT  A  CANE 164  , 

XVII  A  MISUNDERSTANDING 174 

XVIII  THE  GREAT  FOOTBALL  GAME 184 

XIX  MORE  COMPLICATIONS 195 

XX  DAYS  OF  WAITING 205 

XXI  HOME  FOR  THE  HOLIDAYS 216 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXII    WORD  AT  LAST 225 

XXIII  THE  SPRINGTIME  OF  LIFE 233 

XXIV  AT  THE  HAUNTED  HOUSE 241 

XXV    IN  THE  HANDS  OF  THE  ENEMY 249 

XXVI    THE  EVIDENCE  AGAINST  THEM 257 

XXVII    IN  DISGRACE 264 

XXVIII    DARK  DAYS 271 

XXIX    WHAT  THE  GIRLS  DISCOVERED 278 

XXX    A  BEGINNING  AND  AN  ENDING 285 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT 
COLLEGE 


CHAPTER  I 

ON  THE  TRAIN 

"WE'RE  making  time  now,  Tom." 

"Making  time?"  repeated  Tom  Rover  as  he 
out  of  the  car  window  at  the  telegraph  poles 
fl.ishing  past.  "I  should  say  we  were,  Sam! 
Why,  we  must  be  running  sixty  miles  an  hour!" 

"If  we  are  not  we  are  making  pretty  close  to 
it,"  came  from  a  third  boy  of  the  party  in  the 
parlor  car.  "I  think  the  engineer  is  trying  to 
make  up  some  of  the  time  we  lost  at  the  last  stop." 

"That  must  be  it,  Dick,"  said  Sam  Rover. 
"Gracious,  how  we  are  rocking !"  he  added  as  the 
train  rushed  around  a  sharp  curve  and  nearlj 
threw  him  from  his  chair. 

"I  hope  we  get  to  Ashton  on  time,"  remarked 
Tom  Rover.  "I  want  to  take  a  look  around  the 
college  grounds  before  it  gets  dark." 

i 


2  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"That's  Tom,  wanting  to  see  it  all  before  he 
sleeps !"  cried  Sam  Rover  with  a  grin.  "You  look 
out,  Tom,  that  you  don't  get  into  disgrace  the 
first  thing,  as  you  did  when  we  went  to  Putnam 
Hall.  Don't  you  remember  that  giant  firecracker, 
and  how  Josiah  Crabtree  locked  you  up  in  a  cell 
for  setting  it  off?" 

"Ugh !  Will  I  ever  forget  it !"  groaned  Tom, 
making  a  wry  face.  "But  I  got  the  best  of  old 
Crabtree,  didn't  I  ?"  he  continued,  his  face  bright- 
ening. 

"Wonder  if  we'll  make  as  many  friends  at  col' 
lege  as  we  did  at  Putnam  Hall,"  remarked  Dick 
Rover.  "Those  were  jolly  times  and  no  mistake ! 
Think  of  the  feasts,  and  the  hazings,  and  the  base- 
ball and  football,  and  the  rackets  with  the  Pornell 
students,  and  all  that !" 

"Speaking  of  hazing,  I  heard  that  some  of  the 
hazing  at  the  college  we're  bound  for  is  fierce,"- 
came  from  Sam  Rover. 

"Well,  we'll  have  to  stand  for  what  comes, 
Sam,"  answered  his  big  brother.  "No  crying 
'quit'  here." 

"Right  you  are,  Dick,"  said  Tom.  "At  the 

same  time  if Great  Caesar's  ghost,  what's  up 

now!" 

As  Tom  uttered  the  last  words  a  shrill  whistle 
from  the  locomotive  pierced  the  air.  Then  came 


ON  THE  TRAIN  3 

the  sudden  gripping  of  the  air  brakes  on  the  car 
wheels,  and  the  express  came  to  a  stop  with  a 
shock  that  pitched  all  the  passengers  from  their 
seats.  Tom  and  Sam  went  sprawling  in  a  heap 
in  the  aisle  and  Dick  came  down  on  top  of  them. 

"Hi,  get  off  of  me !"  spluttered  Sam,  who  was 
underneath. 

"What's  the  matter?  Have  we  run  into  an- 
other train  ?"  asked  Tom  as  he  pushed  Dick  to  one 
side  and  arose. 

"I  don't  know,"  answered  the  older  brother. 
"Something  is  wrong,  that's  certain." 

"Are  you  hurt,  Sam  ?"  asked  Tom  as  he  helped 
the  youngest  Rover  to  his  feet. 

"No — not  much,"  was  the  panting  reply.  "Say, 
we  stopped  in  a  hurry  all  right,  didn't  we?" 

With  the  shock  had  come  loud  cries  from  the 
other  people  in  the  car,  and  it  was  found  that  one 
young  lady  had  fainted.  Everybody  wanted  to 
know  what  was  the  matter,  but  nobody  could 
answer  the  question.  The  colored  porter  ran  to 
the  platform  and  opened  the  vestibule  door.  Torn 
followed  the  man  and  so  did  Sam  and  Dick. 

"Freight  train  ahead,  off  the  track,"  announced 
Tom.  "We  ran  into  the  last  car." 

"Let  us  go  up  front  and  see  how  bad  it  is," 
returned  Dick.  "Maybe  this  will  tie  us  up  here  for 
hours." 


4  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"Oh,  I  hope  not,"  cried  Sam.  "I  want  to  get 
to  the  college  just  as  soon  as  possible.  I'm  dying 
to  know  what  it's  like." 

"We  can  be  thankful  we  were  not  hurt,  Sam," 
said  his  older  brother.  "If  our  engineer  hadn't 
stopped  the  train  as  he  did  we  might  have  had  a 
fearful  smashup." 

"I  know  it,"  answered  Sam  soberly,  and  then 
the  boys  walked  forward  to  learn  the  full  extent 
of  the  damage  done  and  what  prospects  there 
were  of  continuing  their  journey. 

To  my  old  readers  the  lads  just  mentioned 
will  need  no  special  introduction,  but  for  the  bene- 
fit of  those  who  have  not  read  the  previous  vol- 
umes in  this  "Rover  Boys  Series"  let  me  state 
that  the  brothers  were  three  in  number,  Dick  being 
the  oldest,  fun-loving  Tom  coming  next  and  Sam 
the  youngest.  They  were  the  sons  of  one  Ander- 
son Rover,  a  rich  widower,  and  when  at  home 
lived  with  their  father  and  an  aunt  and  an  uncle 
on  a  beautiful  farm  called  Valley  Brook. 

From  the  farm,  and  while  their  father  was  in 
Africa,  the  boys  had  been  sent  by  their  Uncle 
Randolph  to  school,  as  related  in  the  first  book  of 
the  series,  called  "The  Rover  Boys  at  School." 
At  this  place,  called  Putnam  Hall,  they  made 
many  friends  and  also  a  few  enemies  and  had  "the 
time  of  their  lives,"  as  Tom  often  expressed  it. 


ON  THE  TRAIN  5 

A  term  at  school  had  been  followed  by  a  short 
trip  on  the  ocean,  and  then  the  boys,  in  company 
with  their  uncle,  went  to  the  jungles  of  Africa  to 
rescue  Mr.  Rover,  who  was  a  captive  of  a  savage 
tribe  of  natives.  After  that  came  trips  out  West, 
and  to  the  Great  Lakes,  and  to  the  mountains,  and, 
returning  to  school,  the  lads  went  into  camp  with 
the  other  cadets.  Then  they  took  another  long 
trip  on  land  and  sea  and  led  a  Crusoe-like  life  on 
an  island  of  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

"I  think  we'd  better  settle  down  now,"  said 
Dick  on  returning  home  from  being  cast  away, 
but  this  was  not  to  be.  They  took  a  house-boat 
trip  down  the  Ohio  and  the  Mississippi  rivers,  had 
a  number  of  adventures  on  the  plains  and  then 
found  themselves  in  southern  waters,  where  they 
solved  the  mystery  of  a  deserted  steam  yacht. 

They  returned  to  the  farm  and  to  Putnam  Hall, 
and  for  a  time  matters  went  along  quietly.  On 
account  of  attending  to  some  business  for  his 
.  father,  Dick  had  fallen  somewhat  behind  in  his 
studies,  and  Tom  and  Sam  did  their  best  to  catch 
up  to  him,  and,  as  a  consequence,  all  three  of  the 
youths  graduated  from  Putnam  Hall  at  the  same 
time. 

"And  now  for  college!"  Sam  had  said,  and  all 
were  anxious  to  know  where  their  parent  intended 
to  send  them  next  But  instead  of  settling  this 


6  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

question  Mr.  Rover  came  forward  with  a  proposi- 
tion that  was  as  novel  as  it  was  inviting.  This 
was  nothing  less  than  to  visit  a  spot  in  the  West 
Indies,  known  as  Treasure  Isle,  and  made  a  hunt 
for  a  large  treasure  secreted  there  during  a  rebel- 
lion in  one  of  the  Central  American  countries. 

"A  treasure  hunt !  Just  the  thing !"  Dick  had 
said,  and*  his  brothers  agreed  with  him.  The  lads 
were  filled  with  excitement  over  the  prospect,  and 
for  the  time  being  all  thoughts  of  going  to  college 
were  thrust  aside. 

From  Mr.  Rover  it  was  learned  that  the  treasure 
belonged  to  the  estate  of  a  Mr.  Stanhope,  who 
had  died  some  years  before.  Mr.  Stanhope's 
widow  was  well  known  to  the  Rover  boys,  and 
Dick  thought  that  Dora  Stanhope,  the  daughter, 
was  the  finest  girl  in  the  whole  world.  There  was 
also  another  relative,  a  Mrs.  Laning — the  late  Mr. 
Stanhope's  sister — who  was  to  share  in  the  estate, 
and  she  had  two  daughters,  Grace  and  Nellie,  two 
young  ladies  who  were  especial  favorites  with 
Sam  and  Tom. 

"Oh,  we've  got  to  find  that  treasure,"  said  Tom, 
"Think  of  what  it  means  to  the  Stanhopes  and  the 
Lanings." 

"They'll  be  rich — and  they  deserve  to  be,"  an- 
swered his  brother  Sam.  It  may  be  added  here 


ON  THE  TRAIN  7 

that  the  Rovers  were  wealthy,  so  they  did  not 
begrudge  the  treasure  to  others. 

A  steam  yacht  was  chartered  and  a  party  was 

made  up,  consisting  of  the  Rovers,  several  of  the 

I  boys'  school  chums,  Mrs.  Stanbope  and  Dora  and 

,  Mrs.  Laning  and  Grace  and  Nellie.    The  steam 

yacht  carried  a  fine  crew  and  also  an  old  tar  called 

Bahama  Bill,  who  knew  the  exact  location  of  the 

treasure. 

Before  sailing  it  was  learned  that  some  rivals 
were  also  after  the  treasure.  One  of  these  was  a 
sharper  named  Sid  Merrick,  who  had  on  several 
occasions  tried  to  get  the  best  of  the  Rovers  and 
failed.  With  Merrick  was  Tad  Sobber,  his 
nephew,  a  youth  who  at  Putnam  Hall  had  been  a 
bitter  foe  to  Dick,  Tom  and  Sam.  Sobber  had 
sent  the  Rovers  a  box  containing  a  live  poisonous 
snake,  but  the  snake  got  away  and  bit  another 
pupil.  This  lad  knew  all  about  the  sending  of  the 
reptile  and  he  exposed  Tad  Sobber,  and  the  latter, 
growing  alarmed,  ran  away  from  the  school. 

The  search  for  the  treasure  proved  a  long  one, 
and  Sid  Merrick  and  Tad  Sobber  did  all  in  their 
power  to  keep  the  wealth  from  falling  into  the 
haxids  of  the  Rovers  and  their  friends.  But  the 
Rovers  won  out  in  the  quest  and  sailed  away  with 
tne  treasure  on  board  the  steam  yacht.  The  vessel 
of  their  enemies  followed  them,  but  a  hurricane 


8  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

came  up  and  the  other  ship  was  lost  with  nearly 
all  on  board. 

"Well,  that's  the  end  of  Sid  Merrick  and  Tad 
Sobber,"  said  Dick  when  he  heard  this  news.  "If 
they  are  at  the  bottom  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean  they 
can't  bother  us  any  more."  But  Dick  was  mistaken 
in  his  surmise.  It  was  true  that  Sid  Merrick  had 
been  drowned,  but  Tad  Sobber  was  alive,  having 
been  rescued  by  a  schooner  bound  for  London,  and 
he  was  now  on  his  way  back  to  the  United  States, 
more  bitter  than  ever  against  the  Rovers,  and  with 
a  determination  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  bring 
Dick,  Tom  and  Sam  to  grief  and  gain  possession 
of  the  money  which  he  and  his  uncle  had  claimed 
belonged  to  them  instead  of  to  the  Stanhope  estate. 

On  arriving  at  Philadelphia  from  the  West 
Indies  the  treasure  was  deposited  in  a  strong  box 
of  a  local  trust  company.  From  it  the  expenses 
of  the  trip  were  paid,  and  the  sailors  who  had 
aided  in  the  search  were  suitably  rewarded.  Later 
on  the  balance  of  the  treasure  was  divided  accord- 
ing to  the  terms  of  Mr.  Stanhope's  will.  This 
placed  a  large  sum  of  money  in  the  hands  of  Mrs. 
Stanhope,  both  for  herself  and  Dora,  and  also  a 
goodly  amount  in  the  hands  of  Mrs.  Laning  for 
herself  and  Grace  and  Nellie. 

The  Stanhopes  had  always  been  fairly  well  off, 
but  not  so  the  Lanings.  John  Laning  was  a 


ON  THE  TRAIN  9 

farmer,  and  this  sudden  change  to  riches  bewil- 
dered him. 

"Why,  mother,"  he  said  to  his  wife,  "whatever 
will  you  and  the  gals  do  with  the  money?" 

"Several  things,  John,"  she  answered.  "In  the 
first  place,  you  are  not  going  to  work  so  hard  and 
in  the  next  place  the  girls  are  going  to  have  a 
better  education." 

"Well,  I'm  not  afraid  of  work,"  answered  the 
farmer.  "About  eddication,  if  they  want  it — well, 
it's  their  money  and  they  can  have  all  the  learnin' 
they  want." 

"Dora  is  going  to  a  boarding  school  and  Nellie 
and  Grace  want  to  go  with  her,"  went  on  Mrs. 
Laning. 

"Where  is  Dora  going?" 

"To  a  place  called  Hope  Seminary.  Her  mother 
knows  the  lady  who  is  the  principal." 

"Well,  if  it's  a  good  place,  I  reckon  the  gals  can 
go  too.  But  it  will  be  terrible  lonesome  here  with- 
out 'em." 

"I  know,  John,  but  we  want  the  girls  to  be 
somebody,  now  they  have  money,  don't  we?" 

"Sure  we  do,"  answered  Mr.  Laning  readily. 

So  it  was  arranged  that  the  three  girls  should 
go  to  Hope  Seminary,  located  several  miles  from 
the  town  of  Ashton,  in  one  of  the  Central  States. 
In  the  meantime  the  Rover  boys  were  speculating 


10  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

on  what  college  they  were  to  attend.  Yale  was 
mentioned,  and  Harvard  and  Princeton,  and  als« 
several  institutions  located  in  the  Middle  West. 

"Boys,  wouldn't  you  like  to  go  to  Brill  Col- 
lege?" asked  their  father  one  day.  "That's  a  fine 
institution — not  quite  so  large  as  some  but  just 
as  good."  And  he  smiled  in  a  peculiar  manner. 

"Brill?    Where  is  that?"  asked  Dick. 

"It  is  near  the  town  of  Ashton,  about  two  miles 
from  Hope  Seminary,  the  school  Dora  Stanhope 
and  the  Laning  girls  are  going  to  attend."  And 
Mr.  Rover  smiled  again. 

"Brill  College  for  mine,"  said  Sam  promptly 
and  in  a  manner  that  made  his  brothers  laugh. 

"Sam  wants  to  be  near  Grace,"  said  Tom. 

"Well,  don't  you  want  to  be  near  Nellie?"  re- 
torted the  youngest  Rover. 

"Of  course  I  do.  And  I  reckon  Dick  won't  be 
angry  at  being  where  he  can  occasionally  see 
Dora,"  went  on  the  fun-loving  Rover  with  a  sly 
wink.  "Of  course  it's  nice  enough  to  write  letters 
and  send  boxes  of  chocolates  by  mail,  but  it's  a 
good  deal  better  to  take  a  stroll  in  the  moonlight 
and  hold  hands,  eh,  Dick  ?" 

"Is  that  what  you  do?"  asked  Dick,  but  his  face 
grew  very  red  as  he  spoke. 

"Never  in  the  wide,  wide  world!"  cried  Tom. 


ON  THE  TRAIN  II 

**I  leave  that  for  my  sentimental  brothers,  big  and 
little." 

"Who  is  sentimental  ?"  exclaimed  Sam.  "Maybe 
I  don't  remember  you  and  Nellie  on  the  deck  of 
the  steam  yacht  that  moonlight  night " 

"Aw,  cut  it  out !"  muttered  Tom.  He  turned 
to  his  father,  who  had  been  called  from  the  room 
for  a  moment.  "If  you  think  Brill  College  a  good 
one,  dad,  it  will  suit  me." 

"And  it  will  suit  me,  too,"  added  Sam, 

"I  mentioned  Brill  for  two  reasons,"  explained 
Mr.  Rover.  "The  one  was  because  it  is  near  Hope 
Seminary  and  the  other  is  because  I  happen  to 
know  the  president,  Dr.  John  Wellington,  quite 
well ;  in  fact,  we  went  to  school  together.  He  is  a 
fine  gentleman — as  fine  a  fellow  as  Captain  Put- 
nam— and  I  am  sure  his  college  must  be  a  good 
one." 

"If  it's  as  good  as  dear  old  Putnam  Hall,  I  shall 
be  well  content,"  answered  Dick. 

"Then  you  are  satisfied  to  go  there,  Dick  ?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

So  it  was  settled  and  arrangements  were  at 
once  made  for  the  three  boys  to  go  to  Brill.  For- 
tunately it  was  found  that  their  diplomas  from 
Putnam  Hall  would  admit  them  to  the  freshmen 
class  without  examination.  All  of  the  boys  wrote 
letters  to  the  girls  and  received  answers  in  return. 


12  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

The  college  was  to  open  two  weeks  before  the 
seminary,  so  that  to  journey  to  Ashton  together 
would  be  out  of  the  question. 

"Well,  we'll  see  the  girls  later,  anyway,"  said 
Dick.  "I  hope  they  like  it  at  Hope  and  we  like 
it  at  Brill;  then  we'll  have  some  splendid  times 
together." 

"Right  you  are,"  answered  Sam,  and  Tom  said 
the  same. 

At  last  came  the  day  for  the  boys  to  leave  home. 
Trunks  and  dress-suit  cases  were  packed,  and  not 
only  their  father  but  also  their  Uncle  Randolph 
and  their  Aunt  Martha  went  to  the  depot  to  see 
them  off. 

"Now  be  good  and  take  care  of  yourselves," 
said  Mr.  Rover  on  parting. 

"Learn  all  you  can,"  added  Uncle  Randolph. 
"Remember  that  knowledge  is  better  than  wealth." 

"Oh,  I'm  going  to  cram  my  head  full  of  learn- 
ing this  trip,"  answered  Tom  with  a  grin. 

"Take  care  of  yourselves  and  don't  get  sick," 
was  Aunt  Martha's  warning.  "If  you  do,  get  a 
doctor  right  away."  And  then  she  gave  each  of 
the  boys  a  warm,  motherly  kiss  and  a  hug.  She 
thought  the  lads  the  very  best  in  all  this  wide 
world. 

The  tram  came  and  the  boys  were  off.  After  a 
two  hours'  ride  they  had  to  change  to  the  main 


ON  THE  TRAIN  13 

line  and  got  into  the  parlor  car  already  mentioned. 
Then  they  had  dinner  in  the  diner  and  went  back 
to  the  other  car  to  read  and  to  look  at  the  scenery. 
Thus  several  hours  slipped  by,  when  of  a  sudden 
came  the  jar  and  shock  that  told  them  something 
out  of  the  ordinary  had  happened. 


CHAPTER  II 

AT  THE  SANDERSON  HOUSE 

WHEN  the  Rover  boys  reached  the  head  of  the 
train  they  found  an  excited  crowd  beginning  to 
collect.  The  locomotive  of  the  express  had  cut 
into  the  last  freight  car  a  distance  of  several  feet, 
smashing  a  number  of  boxes  and  barrels  and  like- 
wise the  headlight  of  the  engine.  Nobody  had 
been  hurt,  for  which  everybody  was  thankful. 
But  the  engineer  of  the  express  was  very  angry. 

"Why  didn't  you  send  a  man  back  with  a  flag 
or  put  a  torpedo  on  the  track?"  he  demanded  of 
the  freight  train  conductor. 

"Did  send  a  man  back,"  was  the  answer,  "but 
he  didn't  go  back  far  enough — hadn't  time.  This 
happened  only  a  few  minutes  ago." 

"You  can't  expect  me  to  stop  in  a  hundred 
feet,"  growled  the  engineer.  As  a  matter  of  fact 
he  had  not  stopped  in  many  times  that  distance. 

"Well,  I  did  what  I  could,"  grumbled  the 
freight  conductor. 

14 


15 

By  making  inquiries  the  Rover  boys  learned 
that  the  freight  train  had  jumped  a  frog  at  a 
switch  and  part  of  the  cars  were  on  one  track  and 
part  on  another.  Two  trucks  were  broken,  and 
nobody  could  tell  how  long  it  would  take  to  clear 
the  track  upon  which  the  express  stood. 

"May  be  an  hour,  but  more  likely  it  will  be  six 
or  eight,"  said  one  erf  the  brakemen  to  Tom. 
"This  section  of  the  road  is  the  worst  managed  of 
the  lot." 

"And  how  far  is  it  to  Ashton  ?"  asked  Dick. 

"About  twelve  miles  by  the  railroad." 

"Then  walking  is  out  of  the  question,"  came 
from  Sam.  "I  shouldn't  mind  hoofing  it  if  it  was 
two  or  three." 

"The  railroad  has  to  run  around  the  hill  yon- 
der," went  on  the  train  hand.  "If  you  go  up  the 
tracks  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile  you'll  come  to  a 
country  road  that  will  take  you  right  into  Ashton, 
and  the  distance  from  there  isn't  more  than  seven 
or  eight  miles." 

"Any  houses  on  that  road  ?"  asked  Tom. 

"Of  course — farmhouses  all  along." 

"Then  come  on,"  went  on  Tom  to  his  brothers. 
"We  can  hire  a  carriage  to  take  us  to  Ashton  and 
to  the  college.  Some  farmer  will  be  glad  of  the 
chance  to  earn  the  money." 


16  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"Let  us  wait  and  see  if  the  train  moves  first,** 
answered  Dick. 

"She  won't  move  just  yet,"  answered  the  brake- 
man  with  a  sickly  grin. 

The  boys  stood  around  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
and  then  decided  to  walk  up  to  the  country  road 
that  had  been  mentioned.  Their  trunks  were 
checked  through,  but  they  had  their  dress-suit 
cases  with  them. 

"We'll  have  to  carry  these/'  said  Sam  dolefully. 

"Let  us  see  if  we  can't  check  them,"  returned 
his  big  brother.  But  this  was  impossible,  for  the 
baggage  car  was  locked  and  they  could  not  find  the 
..nan  who  had  charge  of  it. 

"Oh,  well,  come  on,"  said  Tom.  "The  cases 
are  not  so  heavy,  and  it  is  a  fine  day  for  walking," 
and  off  he  started  and  his  brothers  followed  him. 

It  was  certainly  a  fine  day,  as  Tom  said.  It 
was  early  September,  clear  and  cool,  with  a  faint 
breeze  blowing  from  the  west.  On  the  way  they 
passed  an  apple  orchard,  laden  with  fruit,  and 
they  stopped  long  enough  to  get  some. 

"I  declare  this  is  better  than  sitting  in  that 
stuffy  car,"  remarked  Sam  as  he  munched  on  an€ 
apple.  "I  am  glad  to  stretch  my  legs." 

"If  we  don't  have  to  stretch  them  too  long," 
remarked  Dick. 

"Say,  I  wonder  if  we'll  pass  anywhere  near 


AT  THE  SANDERSON  HOUSE  17 

Hope  Seminary !"  cried  Tom.  "It  may  be  on  this 
road." 

"What  of  it?"  returned  his  younger  brother. 
"The  girls  are  not  here  yet — won't  be  for  two 
weeks." 

"Oh,  we  might  get  a  view  of  the  place  anyway, 
Sam." 

"I  want  to  see  Brill  first,"  came  from  Dick. 

"If  that  doesn't  suit  us "  He  ended  with  a 

sigh. 

"Oh,  it  will  suit,  you  can  bet  on  it !"  cried  Sam. 
"Father  wouldn't  send  us  there  if  he  wasn't  sure 
it  would  be  O.  K.  He's  as  much  interested  as 
we  are." 

Walking  along  the  highway,  which  ran  down 
to  a  little  milk  station  on  the  railroad,  the  three 
boys  soon  discovered  a  farmhouse  nestling  be- 
tween some  trees  and  bushes.  They  threw  their 
baggage  on  the  grass  and  walked  up  to  the  front 
door. 

They  had  to  knock  several  times  before  their 
summons  was  answered.  Then  an  old  lady  opened 
the  door  several  inches  and  peeped  out. 

"What  do  you  want?"  she  demanded  in  a 
cracked  voice. 

"Good  afternoon,"  said  Dick  politely.  "Can 
we  hire  somebody  to  drive  us  to  Ashton?  We 


18  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

were  on  the  train,  but  there  has  been  a  smash-up, 
and  we " 

"Land  sakes  alive !  A  smash-up,  did  you  say  ?" 
cried  the  old  lady. 

"Yes,  madam." 

"Was  my  son  Jimmie  killed  ?" 

"Nobody  was  killed  or  even  hurt" 

"Sure  of  that?  My  son  Jimmie  went  to  Craw- 
ford yesterday  an'  was  coming  back  this  after- 
noon. Sure  he  wasn't  on  that  train  ?" 

"If  he  was  he  wasn't  hurt,"  answered  Dick. 
"Can  we  hire  a  carriage  to  take  us  to  Ashton  ?" 

"How  did  it  happen — that  accident?" 

"The  express  ran  into  the  end  of  a  freight 
train." 

"Land  sakes  alive!  The  freight!  Maybe  it 
was  the  one  we  sent  the  cows  away  on.  Was  there 
any  cows  killed,  do  you  know  ?" 

"I  don't  think  so." 

"Well,  tell  me  the  particulars,  will  you?  I 
don't  go  out  much  an'  so  I  don't  hear  nuthin'. 
But  an  accident!  Ain't  it  awful?  But  I  always 
said  it  was  risky  to  ride  on  the  railroad;  I  told 
Jimmie  so  a  hundred  times.  But  he  would  go  to 
Crawford  an'  now  maybe  he's  a  corpse.  You  are 
sure  you  didn't  see  a  tall,  thin  young  man,  with  a 
vrart  on  his  chin,  that  was  cut  up?" 

"What  do  you  mean,  the  wart  or  the  young 


AT  THE  SANDERSON  HOUSE  19 

man?"  asked  Tom,  who  was  bound  to  have  his 
fun. 

"Why,  the  young  man  o'  course;  although  1 
allow  if  he  was  cut  up  the  wart  would  be,  too. 
Poor  boy !  I  warned  him  a  hundred " 

"Can  we  hire  a  carriage  here  or  not?"  de- 
manded Dick.  The  talk  was  growing  a  little  tire- 
some to  him. 

"No,  you  can't!"  snapped  the  old  lady.  "We 
never  hire  out  our  carriage.  If  we  did  it  would 
soon  go  to  pieces." 

"Is  there  anybody  who  can  drive  us  to  Brill 
College?  We'll  pay  for  the  service,  of  course." 

"No.  But  you  might  get  a  carriage  over  to 
the  Sanderson  place." 

"Where  is  that?"  asked  Sam. 

"Up  the  road  a  piece,"  and  the  old  lady  mo- 
tioned with  her  head  as  she  spoke.  "But  now,  if 
my  son  Jimmie  was  in  that  accident " 

"Good  day,  madam,"  said  Dick  and  walked 
away,  and  Sam  and  Tom  did  the  same.  The  old 
lady  continued  to  call  after  them,  but  they  paid 
no  attention. 

"Poor  Jimmie !  If  he  isn't  killed  in  a  railroad 
accident,  he'll  be  talked  to  death  some  day,"  was 
Sam's  comment. 

"Don't  you  care.  "  We  know  that  Jimmie's  got 
a  wart,  anyway,"  observed  Tom,  and  he  said  thi* 


20  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

so  dryly  his  brothers  had  to  laugh.  "Always  add 
to  your  fund  of  knowledge  when  you  can,"  he 
added,  in  imitation  of  his  Uncle  Randolph. 

"I  hope  we  have  better  success  at  the  next  farm- 
house," said  Sam.  "I  don't  know  that  I  want  to 
walk  all  the  way  to  Ashton  with  this  dress-suit 
case." 

"Oh,  we're  bound  to  find  some  kind  of  a  rig  at 
one  place  or  another,"  said  Dick.  "All  the  folks 
can't  be  like  that  old  woman." 

They  walked  along  the  road  until  they  came  in 
sight  of  a  second  farmhouse,  also  set  in  among 
trees  and  bushes.  A  neat  gravel  path,  lined  with 
rose  bushes,  ran  from  the  gate  to  the  front  piazza. 

"This  looks  nice,"  observed  Sam.  "Some  folks 
of  the  better  sort  must  live  here." 

The  three  boys  walked  up  to  the  front  piazza 
and  set  down  their  baggage.  On  the  door  casing 
was  an  electric  push  button. 

"No  old-fashioned  knocker  here,"  observed 
Dick  as  he  gave  the  button  a  push. 

"Well,  we  are  not  wanting  electric  push  but- 
tons," said  Tom.  "An  electric  runabout  or  a  good 
two-seat  carriage  will  fill  our  bill." 

The  boys  waited  for  fully  a  minute  and  then, 
as  nobody  came  to  answer  their  summons,  Dick 
pushed  the  button  again. 


AT  THE  SANDERSON  HOUSE  21 

"I  don't  hear  it,"  said  Sam.  "Perhaps  it 
doesn't  ring." 

"Probably  it  rings  in  the  back  of  the  house," 
answered  his  big  brother. 

Again  the  boys  waited,  and  while  they  did  so 
all  heard  talking  at  a  distance. 

"Somebody  in  the  kitchen,  I  guess,"  said  Tom. 
"Maybe  we  had  better  go  around  there.  Some 
country  folks  don't  use  their  front  doors  except- 
ing for  funerals  and  when  the  minister  comes." 

Leaving  their  dress-suit  cases  on  the  piazza.,  the 
Rover  boys  walked  around  the  side  of  the  farm- 
house in  the  direction  of  the  kitchen.  The  build- 
ing was  a  low  and  rambling  one  and  they  had  to 
pass  a  sitting-room.  Here  they  found  a  window 
wide  open  to  let  in  the  fresh  air  and  sunshine. 

"Now,  you  must  go,  really  you  must!"  they 
heard  in  a  girl's  voice.  "I  haven't  done  a  thing 
this  afternoon,  and  what  will  papa  say  when  he 
gets  back  ?" 

"Oh,  that's  all  right,  Minnie,"  was  the  answer 
in  masculine  tones.  "You  like  us  to  be  here,  you 
know  you  do.  And,  remember,  we  haven't  seen 
you  in  a  long  time." 

"Yes,  I  know,  Mr.  Flockley,  but " 

"Oh,  don't  call  me  Mr.  Flockley.  Call  me 
Dudd." 

"Yes,  and  please  don't  call  me  Mr.  Koswell," 


22  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

broke  in  another  masculine  voice.  "Jerry  is  good 
enough  for  me  every  time." 

"But  you  must  go  now,  you  really  must !"  said 
the  girl. 

"We'll  go  if  you'll  say  good-by  in  the  right 
kind  of  a  way,  eh,  Dudd  ?"  said  the  person  called 
Jerry  Koswell. 

"Yes,  Minnie,  but  we  won't  go  until  you  cib 
that,"  answered  the  young  man  named  Dudd 
Flockley. 

"Wha — what  do  you  mean?"  faltered  the  girl. 
And  now,  looking  through  the  sitting-room  win- 
dow and  through  a  doorway  leading  to  the 
kitchen,  the  Rover  boys  saw  a  pretty  damsel  of 
sixteen  standing  by  a  pantry  door,  facing  two 
dudish  young  men  of  eighteen  or  twenty.  The 
young  men  wore  checkered  suits  and  sported 
heavy  watch  fobs  and  diamond  rings  and  scarf- 
pins. 

"Why,  you'll  give  us  each  a  nice  kiss,  won't 
you?"  said  Dudd  Flockley  with  a  smile  that  was 
meant  to  be  alluring. 

"Of  course  Minnie  will  give  us  a  kiss,"  said 
Jerry  Koswell.  "Next  Saturday  I'm  coming  over 
to  give  you  a  carriage  ride." 

"I  don't  wish  any  carriage  ride,"  answered  the 
girl  coldly.  Her  face  had  gone  white  at  the  men- 
tion of  kisses. 


AT  THE  SANDERSON  HOUSE  23 

"Well,  let's  have  the  kisses  anyway!"  cried 
Dudd  Flockley,  and  stepping  forward,  he  caught 
the  girl  by  one  hand,  while  Jerry  Koswell  grasped 
her  by  the  other. 

"Oh,  please  let  me  go !"  cried  the  girl.  "Please 
do!  Oh,  Mr.  Flockley!  Mr.  Kosweli,  don't— 
don't — please !" 

"Now  be  nice  about  it,"  growled  Dudd  Flock-- 
ley. 

"It  won't  hurt  you  a  bit,"  added  Jerry  Koswdl. 

"I  want  you  to  let  me  go !"  cried  the  girl. 

"I  will  as  soon  as "  began  Dudd  Flockley., 

and  then  he  gave  a  sudden  roar  of  pain  as  he 
found  himself  caught  by  the  ear.  Then  a  hand 
caught  him  by  the  arm  and  he  was  whirled 
around  and  sent  into  a  corner  with  a  crash.  At 
the  same  time  Jerry  Koswell  was  tackled  and  sent 
down  in  a  heap  in  another  corner.  The  girl,  thus 
suddenly  released,  stared  at  the  newcomers  in 
astonishment  and  then  sank  down  on  a  chair,  too 
much  overcome  to  move  or  speak. 


CHAPTER  III 

LIKE  KNIGHTS  OF  OLD 

THE  Rover  boys  had  acted  on  the  impulse  of 
trie  moment.  They  had  seen  that  the  girl  wanted 
tSe  two  dudish  young  men  to  leave  her  alone,  and 
stepping  into  the  kitchen,  Dick  had  tackled  Dudd 
Flockley  while  Tom  and  Sam  had  given  their  at- 
tention to  Jerry  Koswell. 

"You  cowards !"  cried  Dick,  confronting  Flock- 
ley.  "Why  can't  you  leave  a  young  lady  alone 
when  she  tells  you  to?" 

"They  ought  to  be  kicked  out  of  the  house," 
added  Tom. 

"You — you "    spluttered    Dudd    Flockley. 

He  did  not  know  what  to  say.  He  gathered  him- 
self up  hastily  and  Jerry  Koswell  followed.  "Who 
are  you  ?"  he  demanded,  facing  Dick  with  clenched 
fists. 

"Never  mind  who  I  am,"  was  the  reply  of  the 
oldest  Rover.  "Aren't  you  ashamed  of  yourself  ?" 

"This  is  none  of  your  affair,"  came  from  Kos- 
well. 

24 


LIKE  KNIGHTS  OF  OLD  25 

"Well,  we  made  it  our  affair,"  answered  Tom. 
He  turned  to  the  girl.  "I  hope  we  did  right,"  he 
added  hastily. 

"Why — er — yes,  I  think  so,"  faltered  the  girl. 
She  was  still  very  white  and  trembling.  "But— 
but  I  hope  you  didn't  hurt  them." 

"See  here,  Minnie,  are  you  going  to  stand  for 
this?"  growled  Dudd  Flockley.  "It  ain't  fair! 
We're  old  friends,  and " 

"You  had  no  right  to  touch  me,  Mr.  Flockley," 
answered  the  girl.  "I  told  you  to  let  me  go.  I — I 
thought  you  were  a — a — gentleman."  And  now 
the  tears  began  to  show  in  Minnie  Sanderson's 
eyes. 

"I  am  a  gentleman." 

"You  didn't  act  like  one." 

"Oh,  come,  don't  get  prudish,  Minnie,"  put  in 
Jerry  Koswell.  "We  didn't  mean  any  harm. 
We " 

"I  want  you  to  leave  this  house!"  said  the  girl, 
with  a  sudden  show  of  spirit.  "You  had  no  war- 
rant to  act  as  you  did.  It — it  was — was  shameful ! 
Leave  at  once!  '  And  she  stamped  her  small 
foot  on  the  floor.  Her  anger  was  beginning  to 
show  itself  and  her  face  lost  its  whiteness  and 
Lecame  crimson. 

"We'll  leave  when  we  please,"  muttered  Dudd 
Flockley. 


j?6  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"So  we  will,"  added  Jerry  Koswell. 

On  the  instant  Dick  looked  at  his  brothers,  and 
the  three  advanced  on  the  two  dudish-looking- 
young  men. 

"You  do  as  the  young  lady  says,"  said  Dick  in 
a  cold,  hard  voice.  "I  don't  know  you,  but  you 
are  not  wanted  here,  and  that  is  enough.  Go!" 
And  he  pointed  to  the  door. 

"See  here "  blustered  Flockley.  But  he  got 

no  further,  for  Dick  suddenly  wheeled  him  around 
and  gave  him  a  shove  that  sent  him  through  the 
doorway  and  off  the  back  porch. 

"Now  the  other  fellow,"  said  the  oldest  Rover, 
but  before  Tom  and  Sam  could  touch  Jerry  Kos- 
well that  individual  ducked  and  ran  after  Flockley. 
Then  both  young  men  stood  at  a  safe  distance. 

"We'll  fix  you  for  this !"  roared  Flockley.  "We 
don't  know  who  you  are,  but  we'll  find  out, 
and " 

"Maybe  you  want  a  thrashing  right  now,"  came 
from  Tom  impulsively.  "I'm  in  fighting  trim,  if 
you  want  to  know  it."  And  he  stepped  out  of  the 
house,  with  Sam  at  his  heels.  Dick  followed.  At 
this  hostile  movement  Flockley  and  Koswell 
turned  and  walked  hurriedly  out  of  the  garden 
and  down  the  country  road,  a  row  of  trees  soon 
hiding  them  from  view. 

"They  are  as  mad  as  hornets,"  observed  Sam. 


LIKE  KNIGHTS  OF  OLD  27 

"If  they  belong  anywhere  near  Ashton  we'll  have 
to  look  out  for  them." 

"Right  you  are,"  answered  Tom.  "But  I  am 
not  particularly  afraid." 

Having  watched  the  two  young  men  out  of 
sign  i,  the  three  Rover  boys  returned  to  the  farm- 
house. Minnie  Sanderson  had  now  recovered 
somewhat  and  she  blushed  deeply  as  she  faced 
them. 

"Oh,  wasn't  it  awful,"  she  said.  "I— I  don't 
know  what  you  think  of  it.  They  had  no  right 
to  touch  me.  I  thought  they  were  gentlemen. 
They  have  called  here  several  times,  but  they  never 
acted  that  way  before." 

"Then  we  came  in  the  nick  of  time,"  answered 
Dick.  "Will  you  allow  me  to  introduce  myself?" 
and  he  bowed.  "My  name  is  Dick  Rover  and  this 
is  my  brother  Tom  and  this  my  brother  Sam. 
You  are  Miss  Sanderson,  I  suppose." 

"Yes,  Minnie  Sanderson." 

"We  are  strangers  here.  We  were  on  the  train, 
but  there  was  a  little  accident  and  we  were  in  a 
hurry  to  get  to  Ashton,  so  we  got  off  and  walked 
up  this  road,  thinking  we  could  hire  somebody  to 
drive  us  to  Brill  College." 

"Oh,  do  you  go  to  Brill?"  And  the  girl's  eyes 
opened  widely. 

"We  don't  go  yet,  but  we  are  going." 


28  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"Then — then  you'll  meet  Mr.  Flockley  and  Mr. 
Koswell  again." 

"What,  are  they  students  there?"  cried  Tom. 

"Yes.  This  is  their  second  year,  I  believe.  I 
know  they  were  there  last  spring,  for  they  called 
here." 

Sam  gave  a  low  whistle. 

"We  are  making  friends  first  clip,  aren't  we?" 
he  murmured  to  his  brothers. 

The  boys  related  a  few  of  the  particulars  of  the 
accident  and  their  experience  at  the  farmhouse 
near  the  railroad. 

"Oh,  that's  old  Mrs.  Craven!"  cried  Minnie 
Sanderson.  "She  would  talk  you  out  of  your 
senses  if  you'd  let  her.  But  about  a  carriage,  I 
don't  know.  If  papa  was  here " 

At  that  moment  came  the  sound  of  carriage 
wheels  on  the  gravel  path  near  the  barn. 

"There  is  papa  now !"  cried  Minnie  Sanderson. 
"You  can  talk  to  him.  I  guess  he'll  take  you  to 
the  college  quick  enough." 

l     "How  did  those  two  young  fellows  get  here?'* 
asked  Sam. 

"I  don't  know.  And  please — that  is — you 
won't  say  anything  to  my  father  about  that,  will 
you  ?  It  would  make  him  very  angry,  and  I  don't 
know  what  he'd  do." 


LIKE  KNIGHTS  OF  OLD  2$ 

"We'll  not  say  a  word  if  you  wish  it  that  way," 
answered  Dick. 

"I  don't  think  they'll  bother  me  again  after  the 
way  you  treated  them,"  added-the  girl. 

She  led  them  toward  the  barn  and  introduced 
her  father,  a  fat«and  jolly  farmer  of  perhaps  fifty. 
Mr.  Sanderson  had  been  off  on  a  short  drive  with 
one  horse  and  he  readily  agreed  to  take  them  to 
Brill  Cdlege  for  two  dollars. 

"Just  wait  till  I  put  in  a  fresh  team,"  he  said. 
"Then  I'll  get  you  over  to  the  college  in  less  than 
an  hour  and  a  quarter." 

While  he  was  hooking  up  he  explained  that  he 
had  been  to  a  nearby  village  for  a  dry  battery  for 
the  electric  doorbell. 

"We  don't  use  the  bell  much,  but  I  hate  to  have 
it  out  of  order,"  he  explained. ' 

"That's  why  it  didn't  ring,"  said  Sam  to  his 
brothers. 

The  carriage  was  soon  ready  and  the  three 
dress-suit  cases  were  piled  in  the  rear.  Then  the 
boys  got  in  and  Mr.  Sanderson  followed. 

"Good-by!"  called  the  boys  to  Minnie  San- 
derson. 

"Good-by,"  she  returned  sweetly  and  waved  her 
hand. 

"Maybe  we'll  get  down  this  way  again  some 
day,"  said  Dick. 


30  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"If  you  do,  stop  in,"  returned  the  girl. 

The  farmer's  team  was  a  good  one  and  they 
trotted  out  of  the  yard  and  into  the  road  in  fine 
shape.  Dick  was  beside  the  driver  and  his  brothers 
were  in  the  rear.  The  carriage  left'a  cloud  of  dust 
behind  as  it  bowled  along  over  the  dry  country 
road. 

"First  year  at  Brill?"  inquired  Mr.  Sanderson 
on  the  way. 

"Yes,"  answered  Dick. 

"Fine  place — no  better  in  the  world,  so  I've 
heard  some  folks  say — and  they  had  been  to  some 
of  the  big  colleges,  too." 

"Yes,  we've  heard  it  was  all  right,"  said  Tom. 
"By  the  way,  where  is  Hope  Seminary?" 

"About  two  miles  this  side  of  Brill." 

"Then  we'll  pass  it,  eh?"  came  from  Sam. 

"Well,  not  exactly.  It's  up  a  bit  on  a  side 
road.  But  you  can  see  the  buildings — very  nice, 
too — although  not  so  big  as  those  up  to  Brill.  I'll 
point  'em  out  to- you  when  we  get  there." 

"Do  you  know  any  of  the  fellows  at  Brill?** 
questioned  Tom,  nudging  Sam  in  the  ribs  as  he 
spoke. 

"A  few.  Minnie  met  some  of  'em  at  the  base- 
ball and  football  games,  and  once  in  a  while  one 
of  'em  stops  at  our  house.  But  we  are  most  too 
far  away  to  see  much  of  'em." 


LIKE  KNIGHTS  OF  OLD  31 

Presently  the  carriage  passed  through  a  small 
village  which  the  boys  were  told  was  called  Rush- 
ville. 

"I  don't  know  why  they  call  it  that,"  said  Mr. 
Sanderson  with  a  chuckle.  "Ain't  no  rushes  grow- 
ing around  here,  and  there  ain't  no  rush  either; 
it's  as  dead  as  a  salted  mackerel,"  and  he  chuckled 
again.  "But  there's  one  thing  here  worth  know- 
ing about,"  he  added  suddenly. 

"Whats'  that?"  asked  Dick. 

"The  Jamison  place — it's  haunted." 

"Haunted !"  cried  Tom.    "What,  a  house?" 

"Yes,  a  big,  old-fashioned  house,  set  in  a  lot 
of  trees.  It  ain't  been  occupied  for  years,  and  the 
folks  say  it's  haunted,  and  nobody  goes  near  it." 

"We'll  have  to  inspect  it  some  day,"  said  Sam 
promptly. 

"What — you  ?"  cried  the  fat  farmer. 

"Sure." 

"Ain't  you  scared  ?" 

"No,"  answered  the  youngest  Rover.  "I  don't 
believe  in  ghosts." 

"Well,  they  say  it's  worth  a  man's  life  to  go  in 
that  house,  especially  after  dark." 

"I  think  I'd  risk  it." 

"So  would  I,"  added  Tom. 

"We'll  pay  the  haunted  house  a  visit  some  day 


32  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

when  there  is  no  session  at  the  college,"  said  Dick. 
"It  will  give  us  something  to  do." 

"Hum !"  mused  the  farmer.  "Well,  if  you  do 
it  you've  got  backbone,  that's  all  I've  got  to  say. 
The  folks  around  here  won't  go  near  that  Jamison 
place  nohow." 

The  road  now  became  hilly,  with  many  twists 
and  turns,  and  the  farmer  had  to  give  his  entire 
attention  to  his  team.  The  carriage  bounced  up 
and  down  and  once  Sam  came  close  to  being 
pitched  out. 

"Say,  this  is  fierce!"  he  cried.  "How  much 
more  of  it?" 

"Not  more'n  a  quarter  of  a  mile,"  answered 
Mr.  Sanderson.  "It  is  kinder  rough,  ain't  it? 
The  roadmaster  ought  to  have  it  fixed.  Some  of 
the  bumps  is  pretty  bad." 

There  was  one  more  small  hill  to  cross,  and 
then  they  came  to  a  level  stretch.  Here  the  horses 
made  good  time  and  the  farmer  "let  them  out"  in 
a  fashion  that  pleased  the  boys  very  much. 

"A  fine  team  and  no  mistake,"  said  Dick,  and 
his  pleased  Mr.  Sanderson  very  much,  for  he 
vas  proud  of  but  two  things — his  daughter  Min- 
nie and  his  horses. 

"There  is  Hope  Seminary,"  said  Mr.  Sanderson 
presently  and  pointed  to  a  group  of  buildings  set 
in  among  some  large  trees.  "That's  a  good  school. 


LIKE  KNIGHTS  OF  OLD  33 

I've  been  thinking  of  sending  my  daughter  there, 
only  it's  a  pretty  long  drive,  and  I  need  her  at 
home.  You  see,"  he  explained,  "Minnie  keeps 
house  for  me — has  ever  since  my  wife  died,  three 
years  ago." 

The  boys  gazed  at  the  distant  seminary  build- 
ings with  interest,  and  as  they  did  so  Dick  thought 
of  Dora  Stanhope  and  Tom  and  Sam  remembered 
the  Lanings.  All  thought  how  jolly  it  would  be 
to  live  so  close  together  during  the  college  term. 

"Now  we've  got  only  two  miles  more,"  said  Mr. 
Sanderson  as  he  set  his  team  on  a  trot  again. 
"I'll  land  you  at  Brill  inside  of  fifteen  minutes, 
even  if  the  road  ain't  none  of  the  best." 

The  country  road  ran  directly  into  the  town  of 
Ashton,  but  there  was  a  short  cut  to  the  college 
and  they  turned  into  this.  Soon  the  lads  caught 
sight  of  the  pile  of  buildings  in  the  distance.  They 
were  set  in  a  sort  of  park,  with  the  road  running 
in  front  and  a  river  in  the  rear.  Out  on  the 
grounds  and  down  by  the  stream  the  Rover  boys 
saw  a  number  of  students  walking  around  and 
standing  in  groups  talking. 

With  a  crack  of  his  whip  Mr.  Sanderson 
whirled  from  the  road  into  the  grounds  and  drove 
up  to  the  steps  of  the  main  building. 

"This  is  the  place  where  new  students  report,'* 


34  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

he  said  with  a  smile.  "I'll  take  your  grips  over 
to  the  dormitory." 

"Thank  you,  Mr.  Sanderson,"  said  Dick.  "And 
here  are  your  two  dollars,"  and  he  handed  the 
money  over. 

While  Dick  was  paying  the  farmer  Sam  turned 
to  the  back  of  the  carriage  to  look  at  the  dress* 
suit  cases.  He  gave  an  exclamation. 

"What's  the  matter?"  asked  Tom. 

"Didn't  you  have  a  suit  case,  Torn  ?" 

"Certainly." 

"Well,  it's  gone." 


CHAPTER  IV 

WKAT  HAPPENED  AT  THE  CAMPUS  FENCE 
"GONE?" 

"Yes,  gone.  Are  you  sure  you  put  it  in  the 
carriage  ?" 

"Positive,"  was  Tom's  answer.  "I  put  it  on 
top  of  yours  and  Dick's." 

"Then  it  must  have  jounced  out  somewhere  on 
the  road." 

"What's  up?"  asked  Dick,  catching  a  little  of 
the  talk. 

"Tom's  case  is  gone.  He  put  it  on  top  of  ours, 
and  I  suppose  coming  over  that  rough  road 
jounced  it  out." 

"One  of  the  satchels  gone,  eh  ?"  came  from  Mr. 
Sanderson.  "Sure  you  put  it  in?" 

"Yes,  I  am  positive." 

"Too  bad.  Reckon  I'd  better  go  back  at  once 
and  pick  it  up." 

"I'll  go  with  you,"  said  Tom. 

The  matter  was  talked  over  for  a  minute  and 
JN 


36  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

then  Tom  and  the  farmer  reentered  the  carriage 
and  drove  off.  As  they  did  this  a  man  came  out 
to  meet  Dick  and  Sam. 

"New  students  ?"  he  asked  shortly. 

"Yes,"  replied  Dick. 

"Please  step  this  way." 

The  doorman  led  them  along  a  broad  hall  and 
into  a  large  office.  Here  they  signed  a  register 
and  were  then  introduced  by  an  under  teacher  to 
Dr.  Wallington,  a  gray-haired  man  of  sixty,  tall 
and  thin,  with  a  scholarly  aspect.  The  president 
of  Brill  shook  hands  cordially. 

"I  feel  that  I  know  you  young  gentlemen,"  he 
said.  "Your  father  and  I  were  old  school  chums. 
I  hope  you  like  it  here  and  that  your  coming  will 
do  you  much  good." 

"Thank  you,  I  hope  so  too,"  answered  Dick, 
and  Sam  said  about  the  same.  The  two  boys  felt 
at  once  that  the  doctor  would  prove  their  friend 
so  long  as  they  conducted  themselves  properly,  but 
they  also  felt  that  the  aged  president  of  Brill  would 
stand  for  no  nonsense. 

Having  been  questioned  by  the  doctor  and  one 
of  the  teachers,  the  boys  were  placed  in  charge  of 
the  house  master,  who  said  he  would  show  them  to 
their  rooms  in  the  dormitory.  Dick  had  already 
explained  the  absence  of  Tom. 

"Your  father  wrote  that  you  would  prefer  to 


AT  THE  CAMPUS  FENCE  37 

room  together,"  said  the  house  master.  "But  that 
will  be  impossible,  since  our  rooms  accommodate 
but  two  students  each.  We  have  assigned  Samuel 
and  Thomas  to  room  No.  25  and  Richard  to  room 
No.  26,  next  door." 

"And  who  will  I  have  with  me?"  asked  Dick 
with  interest.  He  did  not  much  fancy  having  a 
stranger. 

"Well,  we  were  going  to  place  a  boy  with  you 
named  Stanley  Browne,  a  very  fine  lad,  but  day 
before  yesterday  we  received  a  new  application 
and  the  applicant  said  he  desired  very  much  to  be 
put  with  the  Rovers.  So  he  can  go  with  you,  if 
you  wish  it." 

"\Vho  was  the  applicant?"  asked  Dick  quickly. 

"John  A.  Powell.  He  said  he  was  an  old  school 
chum  of  yours  at  Putnam  Hall  and  had  been  on  a 
treasure  hunt  with  you  during  the  past  summer." 

"Songbird !"  cried  Dick,  and  his  face  broke  out 
in  a  smile.  "Oh,  that's  good  news!  It  suits  me 
perfectly." 

"Did  you  call  the  young  man  Songbird?"  que- 
ried the  house  master. 

"Yes,  that's  his  nickname." 

"Then  he  must  be  a  singer." 

"No,  he  composes  poetry — or  at  least  verses 
that  he  calls  poetry,"  answered  the  eldest  Rover. 

"I  wish  some  more  of  the  old  Putnam  Hall 


38  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

crowd  were  coming,"  put  in  Sam.  "Think  of 
having  Hans  Mueller  here!"  And  the  very  idea 
made  him  grin. 

"Hans  isn't  fit  for  college  yet,  Sam,  But  there 
may  be  others,"  added  Dick  hopefully. 

They  soon  reached  the  dormitory,  located  across 
the  campus  from  the  main  building  and  followed 
the  house  master  up-stairs  and  to  rooms  No.  25 
and  26.  Each  was  bright,  clean  and  cheerful, 
with  big  windows  looking  to  the  southward.  Each 
contained  two  clothes  closets,  two  beds,  two  book- 
shelves, a  bureau,  a  reading  table,  two  plain  chairs 
and  a  rocker.  The  walls  were  bare,  but  the  boys 
were  told  they  could  hang  up  what  they  pleased  so 
long  as  they  did  not  mar  the  plaster. 

"The  lavatories  are  at  the  end  of  the  hall,"  said 
the  house  master.  "And  the  trunk  room  is  there, 
too.  Have  you  had  the  trunks  sent  up  yet?" 

"No,  sir,"  answered  Dick. 

"Then  let  me  have  your  checks  and  I  will  attend 
to  it.  I  see  the  man  has  already  brought  up  your 
suit  cases.  I  hope  your  brother  has  no  trouble  in 
recovering  the  one  that  was  lost." 

"When  is  John  Powell  coming?"  asked  Dick. 

"To-morrow,  so  he  telegraphed." 

The  house  master  left  Dick  and  Sam  and  the 
two  boys  looked  over  the  rooms  and  put  some  of 
the  things  from  their  suit  cases  in  the  closets  and 


AT  THE  CAMPUS  FENCE  39 

in  the  bureaus.  Then  they  walked  down  to  one 
of  the  lavatories  and  washed  and  brushed  up. 
Everything  was  so  new  and  strange  to  them  that 
they  did  not  feel  at  all  at  home. 

"It  will  take  a  few  days  to  get  used  to  it  I  sup- 
pose," said  Sam,  with  a  trace  of  a  sigh.  "I  know 
I  felt  the  same  way  when  first  I  went  to  Putnam 
Hall." 

"Let  us  go  down  and  take  a  look  around  and 
watch  for  Tom,"  replied  his  brother.  "Say,  but 
I'm  glad  Songbird  is  coming,"  he  added.  "I  don't 
care  much  for  his  doggerel,  but  John's  a  good 
fellow  just  the  same." 

"None  better,"  replied  Sam  heartily.  "And  his 
poetry  isn't  so  very  bad,  always." 

The  two  brothers  went  below  and  strolled 
around.  They  found  the  main  building  formed 
the  letter  T,  with  the  top  to  the  front.  In  this 
were  the  offices  and  the  classroom  and  also  the 
private  apartments  of  the  president  and  his  family 
and  some  of  the  faculty.  To  the  east  of  the  main 
building  was  a  long,  one-story  structure,  contain- 
ing a  library  and  a  laboratory,  and  to  the  west  the 
three-story  dormitory  the  lads  had  just  left 
Somewhat  to  the  rear  was  another  dormitory  and 
beside  it  a  large  gymnasium,  with  a  swimming 
pool  attached.  A  short  distance  away  was  a  house 
for  the  hired  help  and  a  stable  and  carriage  sheds. 


40  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

Down  by  the  river  was  a  boathouse,  not  unlike 
that  at  Putnam  Hall  but  larger. 

"This  is  a  fine  layout  and  no  mistake,"  observed 
Dick  with  satisfaction. 

"Did  you  see  that  fine  athletic  field  beyond  the 
campus?"  returned  Sam.  "That  means  baseball 
and  football  galore." 

Having  walked  around  the  outside  of  the  vari- 
ous buildings  the  Rover  boys  made  their  way  to 
the  highway  to  watch  for  the  coming  of  Tom. 
Hardly  had  they  reached  the  road  when  they  saw 
a  crowd  of  six  students  approaching.  Among  the 
number  were  Dudd  Flockley  and  Jerry  Koswell. 

"See  those  two,  Dick?"  whispered  Sam. 
"Won't  they  be  mad  when  they  see  us  here?" 

"Well,  I  don't  care,"  answered  Dick  coolly. 
"If  they  say  anything,  let  me  do  the  talking." 
And  thus  speaking,  Dick  sat  down  on  the  top  of  a 
stone  fence  and  his  brother  hopped  up  beside  him. 

The  six  students  came  closer,  and  of  a  sudden 
Dudd  Flockley  espied  the  Rovers.  He  stopped 
short  and  pulled  his  crony  by  the  arm,  and  Jerry 
Koswell  likewise  stared  at  Dick  and  Sam. 

"You  here?"  demanded  Flockley,  coming  closer 
and  scowling  at  the  youths  on  the  fence. 

"We  are,"  answered  Dick  briefly. 

"Freshmen?" 

"Yes." 


AT  THE  CAMPUS  FENCE  41 

"Humph!"  And  Flockley  put  as  much  of  a 
sneer  as  possible  in  the  exclamation. 

"How  did  you  get  here?"  asked  Koswell. 

"Got  a  carriage  at  the  Sanderson  place,"  an- 
swered Sam  with  a  grin. 

"You  did!"  cried  Flockley.  "Say,  you're  a 
fresh  lot,  aren't  you  ?"  he  went  on,  glaring  at  Dick 
and  Sam.  "Where's  the  third  chap?" 

"None  of  your  business,"  answered  Dick 
sharply. 

"Don't  you  talk  to  me  like  that !"  cried  Dudd 
Flockley,  and  then  his  face  took  on  a  look  of  cun- 
ning. "Freshmen,  eh?  Then  you  don't  know 
what  we  are.  We  are  sophs,  and  we  want  you  to 
answer  us  decently." 

"That's  the  talk !"  cried  Koswell.  "Boys,  these 
are  freshmen,  and  on  the  fence,  too.  We  can't 
allow  this,  can  we?" 

"No  freshies  allowed  on  that  fence!"  answered 
another  boy  of  the  crowd.  "Off  you  go  and 
quick!" 

As  he  spoke  he  approached  Sam  and  tried  to 
catch  him  by  the  foot  to  pull  him  off.  Sam  drew 
in  his  foot  and  then  sent  it  forth  so  suddenly  that 
it  took  the  sophomore  in  the  stomach  and  sent  him 
reeling  to  the  grass. 

"At  them !"  yelled  Flockley.  "Show  them  how 
they  must  behave !  Sophs  to  the  front !" 


42  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"Wait!"  The  command  came  from  Dick,  and 
he  spoke  so  clearly  and  firmly  that  all  the  sopho- 
mores paused.  "Is  this  an  affair  between  Flockley 
and  Koswell  and  ourselves  or  is  it  simply  two 
freshmen  against  six  sophs  ?" 

"Why — er — have  Flockley  and  Koswell  any- 
thing against  you  two?"  demanded  one  of  the 
boys  curiously. 

"I  think  so,"  answered  Dick.  "We  had  the 
pleasure  of  knocking  them  both  down  a  few  hours 
ago.  As  it  was  a  private  affair,  we  won't  go  into 
details." 

"Didn't  do  it  because  you  were  freshmen?" 
asked  another  lad. 

"Not  at  all.  We  were  total  strangers  when  the 
thing  occurred." 

"Yes,  but "  came  from  another  sophomore. 

"Sorry  I  can't  explain.  Flockley  and  Koswell 
can  if  they  wish.  But  I  advise  them  to  keep  a 
certain  party's  name  out  of  the  story,"  added  Dick 
significantly.  He  felt  bound  to  protect  Minnie 
Sanderson  as  much  as  possible. 

"It's  all  stuff  and  nonsense!"  roared  Dudd 
Flockley.  "They  are  freshies  and  ought  to  be 
bounced  off  the  fence  and  given  a  lesson  in  the 
bargain." 

"That's  it — come  and  hammer  'em  I"  added 
Jerry  Koswell. 


AT  THE  CAMPUS  FENCE  43 

"What's  the  row  here?"  demanded  a  tall  lad 
who  had  just  come  up.  He  had  light  curly  hair, 
blue  eyes  and  a  face  that  was  sunshine  itself. 

"Two  freshies  on  the  stone  fence,  Holden,"  said 
one  of  the  sophomores.  "We  can't  allow  that, 
you  know." 

At  this  Frank  Holden,  the  leader  of  the  sopho- 
more class,  laughed. 

"Too  bad,  fellows,  but  they've  got  you.  Term 
doesn't  begin  until  to-morrow  and  they  can  sit 
where  they  please  until  twelve  o'clock  midnight. 
After  that" — he  turned  to  Dick  and  Sam — "well, 
your  blood  will  be  on  your  own  heads  if  you  dis- 
turb this  fence  or  the  benches  around  the  flag- 
staff." 

"My  gracious!  Frank's  right,  term  isn't  on 
until  to-morrow,"  cried  another  student.  "I  beg 
your  pardon,  boys !"  And  he  bowed  lowly  to  the 
Rovers. 

"Gee,  it's  a  wonder  you  fellows  wouldn't  say 
something  before  I  was  kicked  off  the  earth!" 
growled  the  sophomore  who  had  been  sent  to  the 
grass  by  Sam. 

"Don't  thank  me  for  what  I  did,"  said  Sam 
pleasantly,  and  this  caused  some  of  the  other  col- 
lege fellows  to  grin. 

"Don't  say  a  word,"  cried  the  one  who  had  gone 


44  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

down.  "Only — well,  if  I  catch  you  on  the  fence,  it 
will  be  who's  best  man,  that's  all." 

"Aren't  we  to  do  anything  to  these  freshies?" 
demanded  Dudd  Flockley.  He  did  not  at  all 
relish  the  turn  affairs  had  taken. 

"Can't  do  a  thing  until  to-morrow,"  answered 
Frank  Holden  decidedly. 

"Bah!  I  believe  in  making  a  freshie  toe  the 
mark  as  soon  as  he  arrives." 

"So  do  I,"  added  Jerry  Koswell. 

"Can't  be  done — against  the  traditions  of 
Brill,"  answered  the  class  leader.  "You've  got  to 
give  a  freshman  time  to  get  his  feet  planted  on  the 
ground,  you  know,"  he  added  kindly  and  with  a 
smile  at  Dick  and  Sam. 

"Thank  you  for  that,"  answered  the  older 
Rover.  "We'll  be  ready  for  the  whole  sophomore 
class  by  to-morrow." 

"We'll  see,"  answered  Holden  and  passed  on, 
and  the  majority  of  the  second-year  fellows  fol- 
lowed. Flockley  and  Koswell  lingered  behind. 

"See  here,  you  chaps,"  said  Flockley.  "What 
are  your  names  ?" 

"If  you  want  to  know  so  bad,  my  name  is  Dick 
Rover  and  this  is  my  brother  Sam." 

"And  who  was  the  other  fellow?"  asked  Kos- 
well. 

"My  brother  Tom." 


AT  THE  CAMPUS  FENCE  45, 

"Three  brothers,  eh,  and  named  Rover  P' 
growled  Dudd  Flockley.  "All  right,  I'll  remem- 
ber that,  and  I'll  remember  how  you  treated  us  up 
to  the  Sanderson  place." 

"And  I'll  remember  it  too  and  square  up," 
added  Koswell. 

"We'll  make  Brill  too  hot  to  hold  you,"  snapped 
.Flockley,  and  then  he  turned  into  the  gateway 
leading  to  the  campus  and  his  crony  followed. 


CHAPTER  V 

GETTING  ACQUAINTED 

"DiCK,  we  have  made  two  enemies,  that's  stve," 
remarked  Sam  to  his  brother  as  they  watched 
Flockley  and  Koswell  depart. 

"It  couldn't  be  helped  if  we  have,  Sam,"  was  the 
•reply.  "You  are  not  sorry  for  what  we  did  at  the 
Sanderson  house,  are  you  ?" 

"Not  in  the  least.  What  we  should  have  done 
was  to  give  those  chaps  a  sound  thrashing." 

"They  seem  to  have  a  number  of  friends  here. 
Probably  they  will  do  all  they  can  to  make  life  at 
this  college  miserable  for  us." 

"Well,  if  they  do  too  much,  I  reckon  we  can  do 
something  too." 

Some  new  students  had  been  standing  at  a  dis- 
tance watching  the  scene  described  in  the  last 
chapter.  Now  one  of  them  approached  and 
nodded  pleasantly. 

"Freshmen?"  he  asked. 

"Yes,"  answered  both  of  the  Rovers. 
46 


GETTING  ACQUAINTED  47 

"So  am  I.  My  name  is  Stanley  Browne. 
What's  yours  ?" 

"Dick  Rover,  and  this  is  my  brother  Sam." 

"Oh,  are  you  Dick  Rover?  I've  heard  about 
you.  My  cousin  knows  you  real  well." 

"Who  is  your  cousin?" 

"Larry  Colby." 

"Larry !"  cried  Dick.  "Well,  I  guess  he  does 
know  us  well.  We've  had  some  great  times  to- 
gether ?>t  Putnam  Hall  and  elsewhere.  So  you  are 
Larry's  cousin?  I  am  real  glad  to  know  you." 
And  Dick  held  out  his  hand. 

"Larry  is  one  of  our  best  chums,"  said  Sam, 
also  shaking  hands.  "I  remember  now  that  he 
has  spoken  of  you.  I  am  glad  to  know  somebody 
at  this  place."  And  Sam  smiled  broadly.  Soon 
all  three  of  the  boys  were  on  good  terms,  and 
Stanley  Browne  told  the  Rovers  something  about 
himself. 

"I  come  from  the  South,"  he  said.  "My  folks- 
own  a  large  cotton  plantation  there.  Larry  was 
down  there  once  and  we  had  a  lot  of  fun.  He  told 
me  of  the  sport  he  had  had  with  you.  You  must 
have  had  great  times  at  Putnam  Hall." 

"We  did,"  said  Sam. 

"I  thought  there  were  three  of  you,  from  what 
Larry  said." 

"So  there  are,"  answered  Dick,  and  told  about 


48  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

Tom  and  the  missing  dress-suit  case.  ""Tom  ought 
to  be  getting  back,"  he  added. 

Stanley  had  been  at  Brill  for  two  days  and  had 
met  both  Flockley  and  Koswell.  He  did  not  fancy 
either  of  the  sophomores. 

"That  Frank  Holden  is  all  right,"  he  said,  "but 
Flockley  and  Koswell  are  very  overbearing  and 
-dictatorial.  I  caught  them  ordering  one  of  the 
freshmen  around  like  a  servant.  If  they  had 
spoken  that  way  to  me  I'd  have  knocked  them 
down."  And  the  eyes  of  the  Southern  lad  flashed 
•darkly. 

"Where  do  you  room?"  asked  Dick.  He  re- 
membered what  the  house  master  had  said  about 
Stanley  and  felt  that  the  youth  would  make  a  nice 
roommate  for  anybody. 

"I'm  in  No.  27,  right  next  to  you  fellows.  Mr. 
Hicks  was  going  to  put  me  in  with  you  first,  but 
afterward  said  a  friend  of  yours  was  going  to  fill 
the  place." 

"Yes,"  said  Dick.  "But  you  will  be  right  next 
door,  so  it  will  be  almost  the  same  thing.  Who  is 
your  roommate?" 

"A  fellow  named  Max  Spangler.  I  don't  know 
much  about  him,  as  he  only  came  this  noon.  But 
he  seems  all  right.  Here  he  comes  now." 

As  Stanley  spoke  he  motioned  to  a  short,  stout 
.lad  who  was  walking  across  the  campus.  The 


GETTING  ACQUAINTED  49 

boy  had  a  distinctly  German  face  and  one  full  of 
smiles. 

"Hello,  Friend  Browne,"  he  called  out  pleas- 
antly and  with  a  German  accent.  "Did  you  find 
somebody  you  know  ?" 

"I've  made  myself  known,"  answered  Stanley,   , 
and  then  he  introduced  the  others.     "They  bunk 
next  door  to  us,"  he  added  with  a  nod  toward 
Dick  and  Sam. 

"Hope  you  don't  snore,"  said  Max  Spangleiv 
"I  can  go  anybody  but  what  snores." 

"No,  we  don't  snore,"  answered  Sam,  laughing. 

"Then  I'm  your  friend  for  life  and  two  days- 
afterward,"  answered  the  German-American  lad, 
and  said  this  so  gravely  the  others  had  to  laugh.. 
Max  put  the  Rovers  in  mind  of  their  old  friend 
Hans  Mueller,  but  he  spoke  much  better  English 
than  did  Hans,  getting  his  words  twisted  only 
when  he  was  excited. 

Dick  suggested  that  they  all  walk  down  the 
road  to  meet  Tom,  and  this  was  done.  The  con- 
versation was  a  lively  one,  Stanley  and  Max  tell- 
ing of  their  former  schooldays  and  the  Rovers- 
relating  a  few  of  their  own  adventures.  Thus  the 
four  got  to  be  quite  friendly  by  the  time  the  car- 
riage with  Tom  and  Mr.  Sanderson  came  in  sight. 

"Find  it  ?"  sang  out  Sam  to  his  brother. 

"No,"  was  Tom's  reply. 


50  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"You  didn't!"  cried  Dick.  "How  far  back  did 
you  go?" 

"Way  back  to  Rushville.  I  know  it  was  in  the 
carriage  at  that  place,  for  I  saw  it." 

'Too  bad,"  said  Sam.  "Did  you  have  much  of 
value  in  it  ?" 

"Not  a  great  deal.  Most  of  my  stuff  is  in  my 
trunk.  But  the  case  alone  was  worth  six  dollars, 
and  it  had  my  comb  and  brush  and  toothbrush 
and  all  those  things  in  it." 

"Want  me  any  more?"  asked  Mr.  Sanderson. 
""If  you  don't,  I'll  get  home.  It's  past  milking 
time  now." 

"No,  I'll  not  need  you,"  answered  Tom  and 
hopped  to  the  ground.  A  minute  later  the  farmer 
turned  his  team  around  and  was  gone  in  a  cloud 
of  dust. 

Tom  was  introduced  to  Stanley  and  Max,  and 
the  whole  crowd  walked  slowly  back  to  the  college 
grounds.  Then  Tom  was  taken  to  his  room,  the 
others  going  up-stairs  with  him.  He  washed  and 
brushed  up,  went  to  the  office  and  registered,  and 
then  the  bell  rang  for  supper. 

The  dining  hall  at  Brill  was  a  more  elaborate 
affair  than  the  messroom  at  Putnam  Hall,  but  the 
Rovers  were  used  to  dining  out  in  fine  places,  sa 
they  felt  perfectly  at  home.  Dick  and  Sam  had 
already  met  the  instructor  who  had  charge  of  their 


GETTING  ACQUAINTED  51 

table,  Mr.  Timothy  Blackie,  and  they  introduced 
Tom.  Stanley  and  Max  were  at  the  same  table 
and  also  a  long-haired  youth  named  Will  Jackson, 
although  his  friends  called  him  "Spud." 

"I  don't  know  why  they  call  me  Spud,"  he  said 
to  Dick,  "excepting  because  I  like  potatoes  so, 
I'd  rather  eat  them  than  any  other  vegetable. 
Why,  when  I  was  out  in  Jersey  one  summer,  on  a 
farm,  I  ate  potatoes  morning,  noon  and  night  and 
sometimes  between  times.  The  farmer  said  I  had 
better  look  out  or  I'd  sprout.  I  guess  I  ate  about 
'steen  bushels  in  three  weeks." 

"Phew !"  whistled  Sam.    "That's  a  good  one." 

"Oh,  it's  a  fact,"  went  on  Spud.  "Why,  one 
night  I  got  up  in  my  sleep  and  they  found  me 
down  in  the  potato  bin,  filling  my  coat  pockets 
with  potatoes,  and " 

"Filling  your  coat  pocket?"  queried  Stanley. 
"Do  you  sleep  with  your  coat  on  ?" 

"Why,  I— er— I  guess  I  did  that  night,"  an- 
swered Will  Jackson  in  some  confusion.  "Any- 
way, I'm  a  great  potato  eater,"  he  added  lightly. 
Later  on  the  others  found  out  that  Spud  had  a 
vivid  imagination  and  did  not  hesitate  to  "draw 
the  long  bow"  for  the  sake  of  telling  a  good  story. 

The  meal  was  rather  a  stiff  and  quiet  one  among 
the  new  students,  but  the  old  scholars  made  the 
room  hum  with  talk  about  what  had  happened  at 


52  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

the  previous  term.  There  was  a  good  bit  of  con- 
versation concerning  the  last  season  of  baseball 
and  more  about  the  coming  work  on  the  gridiron. 
From  the  talk  the  Rovers  gathered  that  Brill  be- 
longed to  something  of  a  league  composed  of 
several  colleges  situated  in  that  territory,  and  that 
they  had  held  the  football  championship  four  and 
three  seasons  before,  but  had  lost  it  to  one  of  the 
colleges  the  next  season  and  to  another  college  the 
season  just  past. 

"Football  hits  me,"  said  Dick  to  Stanley.  "I'd 
like  to  play  first-rate." 

"Maybe  you'll  get  a  chance  on  the  eleven,  al- 
though I  suppose  they  give  the  older  students  the 
preference,"  was  the  reply. 

Stanley  had  met  quite  a  few  of  the  other  stu- 
dents, and  after  supper  he  introduced  the  Rovers 
and  Max  and  also  Spud.  Thus  the  Rovers  were 
speedily  put  on  friendly  terms  with  a  score  or 
more  of  the  freshmen  and  also  several  of  the 
others.  One  of  the  seniors,  a  refined  young  man 
named  Allan  Charter,  took  the  crowd  through  the 
library  and  the  laboratory  and  also  down  to  the 
gymnasium  and  the  boathouse. 

"We  haven't  any  boat  races,  for  we  have  no 
other  college  to  race  against,"  said  the  senior. 
"The  students  sometimes  get  up  contests  between 
themselves,  though.  Dick  Dawson  used  to  be  our 


GETTING  ACQUAINTED  53 

best  oarsman,  but  last  June  a  fellow  named  Jerry 
Koswell  beat  him." 

"Koswell !"  cried  Sam.  "I  thought  he  was  too 
much  of  a  dude  to  row  in  a  race." 

At  this  remark  the  senior  smiled  faintly. 

"Evidently  you  have  met  Mr.  Koswell,"  he  re- 
marked pointedly. 

"We  have,"  answered  Tom. 

"Well,  he  can  row,  if  he  can't  do  anything  else." 

"I'd  like  to  try  my  skill  against  him  some  day," 
said  Tom,  who  during  the  past  year  had  taken 
quite  a  fancy  to  rowing. 

"Perhaps  Koswell  will  be  glad  to  let  you  have 
the  chance,"  said  Allan  Charter. 

A  little  later  the  senior  left  the  freshmen,  and 
the  latter  strolled  back  in  the  direction  of  the  col- 
lege buildings.  It  was  now  growing  dark,  and 
the  Rovers  concluded  to  go  up  to  their  rooms  and 
unpack  their  trunks,  which  had  just  come  in  from 
the  depot. 

"You  fellows  want  to  keep  your  eyes  wide  open 
to-night,"  cautioned  Stanley,  who  came  up  with 
them. 

"Hazing?"  asked  Dick. 

"So  I  was  told." 

"Will  they  start  in  so  early?"  asked  Sam. 

"Any  time  after  midnight.  I  hate  to  think  of 
it,  but  I  reckon  a  fellow  has  got  to  submit." 


54  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"That  depends,"  answered  Dick.  "I'll  not 
stand  for  everything.  I'll  not  mind  a  little  hazing, 
but  it  mustn't  be  carried  too  far." 

"That's  the  talk,"  cried  Tom.  "If  they  go  too 
far — well,  we'll  try  to  give  'em  as  good  as  they 
send,  that's  all." 

"Right  you  are !"  came  from  Sam. 

They  unpacked  their  trunks  and  proceeded  to 
make  themselves  at  home  as  much  as  possible.  As 
Dick  was  alone  in  his  room,  he  went  over  to  his 
brothers'  apartment  for  company,  locking  his 
door  as  he  did  so. 

"I'll  tell  you  what  I'd  do  if  I  were  you,  Dick," 
said  Tom.  "Stay  here  to-night.  My  bed  is  big 
enough  for  two  o»  a  pinch.  Then,  if  there  is  any 
hazing,  we  can  keep  together.  To-morrow,  if 
Songbird  comes,  it  will  be  different." 

This  suited  the  oldest  Rover,  and  he  brought 
over  such  things  as  he  needed  for  the  night.  The 
boys  were  tired  out,  having  put  in  a  busy  day,  and 
by  ten  o'clock  Sam  and  Tom  were  both  yawning. 

"I  think  I'll  go  to  bed,"  said  Sam.  "If  anything 
happens  wake  me  up." 

"Oh,  you'll  wake  up  fast  enough  if  they  come," 
answered  Tom.  "But  I  am  going  to  lay  down 
myself.  But  I  am  not  going  to  undress  yet." 

Taking  off  their  shoes  and  collars,  ties  and 
coats,  the  boys  said  their  prayers  and  laid  down. 


GETTING  ACQUAINTED  55 

Sam  was  soon  in  the  land  of  dreams,  and  pres- 
ently Tom  and  Dick  followed. 

Two  hours  passed  and  the  three  lads  were 

sleeping  soundly,  when  suddenly  Tom  awoke  with 

>j  a  yell.    A  stream  of  cold  water  had  struck  him  in 

the  head,  making  him  imagine  for  the  instant  that 

he  was  being  drowned. 

"Hi,  stop !"  he  spluttered  and  then  stopped,  for 
the  stream  of  water  took  him  directly  in  the 
mouth.  Then  the  stream  was  shifted  and  struck 
first  Dick  and  then  Sam.  All  three  of  the  Rovers 
leaped  from  the  beds  as  quickly  as  possible.  Al- 
though confused  from  being  awakened  so  rudely, 
they  realized  what  it  meant. 

They  were  being  hazed. 


vi 

A  HAZING,  AND  WHAT  FOLLOWED 

THE  stream  of  water  came  from  a  small  hose 
that  was  being  played  through  a  transom  window 
over  the  door  of  the  room.  A  lad  was  holding  the 
hose,  and  in  the  dim  light  Dick  recognized  the  face 
of  a  youth  named  Bart  Larkspur,  a  sophomore 
who  did  not  bear  a  very  good  reputation.  Lark- 
spur was  poor  and  Dick  had  heard  that  he  was 
used  by  Flockley,  Koswell  and  others  to  do  all 
sorts  of  odd  jobs,  for  which  the  richer  lads  paid 
him  well. 

"Stop  that,  you !"  cried  the  oldest  Rover,  and 
then,  rushing  to  the  door,  he  flung  it  open  and 
gave  a  shove  to  what  was  beyond.  This  was  a 
short  step-ladder  upon  which  Larkspur  and  sev- 
eral others  were  standing,  and  over  the  ladder 
went  with  a  crash,  sending  the  hazers  to  the  floor 
of  the  hallway  in  a  heap. 

"Get  the  hose,"  whispered  Tom,  who  had  fol- 
lowed his  brother,  and  while  the  sophomores  were 

56 


A  HAZING,  AND  WHAT  FOLLOWED        57 

endeavoring  to  get  up,  he  caught  the  squirming 
hose  and  wrenched  it,  nozzle  and  all,  from  Bart 
Larkspur's  hand. 

"Hi,  give  me  that !"  yelled  Larkspur. 

"All  right,  here  you  are,"  answered  Tom  mer- 
rily, and  turned  the  stream  of  water  directly  in 
the  sophomore's  face.  Larkspur  spluttered  and 
shied  and  then  plunged  to  one  side  into  a  fellow 
student  standing  near.  This  was  Dudd  Flockley, 
and  he  was  carried  down  on  his  back. 

"Play  away,  Six!"  called  out  Tom  in  true  fire- 
man style,  and  directed  the  stream  on  Flockley. 
It  hit  the  dudish  student  in  the  chin  and  ran  down 
inside  his  shirt  collar. 

"Stop,  I  beg  of  you!  Oh,  my!"  screamed 
Flockley,  trying  to  dodge  the  water.  "Larkspur, 
grab  the  hose !  Knock  that  rascal  down !  Why 
don't  somebody  do  something?" 

"Give  me  that  hose,  you  freshie!"  called  out 
Jerry  Koswell,  who  was  in  the  crowd.  "Don't 
you  know  better  than  to  resist  your  superiors? 
I  want  you  to  understand " 

"Keep  cool,  old  man,  don't  get  excited,"  an- 
swered Tom  brazenly.  "Ah,  I  see  you  are  too 
•  warm.  Will  that  serve  to  keep  your  temperature 
down  ?"  And  now  he  turned  the  hose  on  Koswell, 
hitting  the  fellow  directly  in  the  left  ear.  Koswell 


58  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

let  out  a  wild  yell  and  started  to  retreat  and  so  did 
several  others. 

"Don't  go!  Capture  the  hosef"  called  out 
Flockley,  but  even  as  he  spoke  he  took  good  care 
to  get  behind  another  sophomore. 

"Capture  it  yourself!"  growled  the  youth  he 
was  using  as  a  shield. 

"Say,  you're  making  too  much  noise,"  whis- 
pered another  student.  "Do  you  want  the  proctor 
down  on  us  ?  And  turn  that  water  off  before  you 
ruin  the  building.  Somebody  has  got  to  pay  for 
this,  remember,"  he  added. 

As  it  was  an  unwritten  law  of  Brill  that  all 
hazers  must  pay  for  any  damage  done  to  college 
property  while  hazing  anybody,  one  of  the  sopho- 
mores started  for  the  lavatory  where  the  hose  had 
been  attached  to  a  water  faucet.  But  while  the 
water  still  ran,  Tom,  aided  by  Dick  and  Sam, 
directed  the  stream  on  the  sophomores,  who  were 
forced  to  retreat  down  the  hallway. 

"Now  rush  'em!  Rush  'em!"  yelled  Flockley, 
when  the  water  had  ceased  to  run.  "Bind  and 
gag  'em,  and  take  'em  down  to  the  gym.  We 
can  finish  hazing  'em  there!" 

"Get  into  the  room!"  whispered  Dick.  "Hur- 
ry up,  and  barricade  the  door!" 

"Right  you  are,  but  no  more  hose  water  for 
\ne,"  answered  Tom,  and  pulled  on  the  rubber 


TlIE  STREAM  OF  WATER  TOOK  HIM  DIRECTLY  IN  THE  MOUTH. 

Pagt  55- 

Tkt  Rove^  Doyi  at  Colltgt. 


'A  HAZING,  AND  WHAT  FOLLOWED         59 

with  all  his  might.  It  parted  about  half  way 
down  the  hallway,  and  into  the  room  he  darted 
with  the  piece  in  his  hands.  Then  Sam  and  Dick 
closed  the  door,  locked  it,  and  shoved  a  bed 
and  the  table  against  the  barrier.  They  also 
turned  the  button  of  the  transom  window  so  that 
the  glass  could  not  be  swung  back  as  before. 

"Now  they  can't  get  in  unless  they  break  in," 
said  Dick  grimly,  "and  I  doubt  if  they'll  dare  to 
do  that." 

"Say,  maybe  I'm  not  wet,"  remarked  Sam, 
surveying  his  dripping  shirt. 

"Never  mind;  we  sent  as  good  as  we  got,  and 
more,"  answered  Tom  with  a  grin.  "Let  us  put 
on  our  coats  so  we  don't  catch  cold.  No  use 
of  putting  on  dry  clothing  until  you  are  sure 
the  ball  is  over." 

"Tom,  you're  a  crack  fireman,"  said  Dick  with 
a  smile.  "I'll  wager  those  sophs  are  mad  enough 
to  chew  nails." 

"What's  sauce  for  the  goose  is  sauce  for  the 
gander,"  quoted  the  fun-loving  Rover.  "What's 
the  good  of  living  if  you  can't  return  a  compli- 
ment now  and  then?" 

For  several  minutes  all  was  silent  outside. 
Then  came  a  light  knock  on  the  door.  Dick 
held  his  hand  up  for  silence  and  the  knock  was 
repeated. 


60  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"Don't  answer  them,"  whispered  the  oldest 
Rover. 

"Say,  I  want  to  talk  to  you  fellows,"  came 
in  low  tones.  "This  is  important." 

Who  are  you?"  asked  Dick  after  a  pause. 

"I'm  Larkspur — Bart  Larkspur.  I  want  to 
tell  you  something." 

"Well-,  what  is  it?"  demanded  Tom. 

"Your  resistance  to  our  class  won't  do  you 
any  good.  If  you'll  come  out  and  take  your 
medicine  like  men,  all  right;  but  if  you  resist  it 
will  go  that  much  harder  with  you." 

"Who  sent  you — Frank  Holden?"  asked  Sam. 

"What  has  Holden  to  do  with  it?"  growled 
Larkspur. 

"We  know  he's  the  leader  of  your  class." 

"He  is  not.    Dudd  Flockley  is  our  leader." 

"Then  Flockley  sent  you,  eh?"  put  in  Dick. 

"Yes,  if  you  want  to  know  it." 

"Well,  tell  Flockley  to  mind  his  own  busi- 
ness," answered  Dick  sharply.  "If  Frank  Hol- 
den wants  us  we'll  come,  but  not  otherwise." 

"Are  you  hazing  any  of  the  other  fellows?" 
asked  Tom. 

"We'll  haze  them  after  we  get  through  with 
you,"  growled  Larkspur,  and  then  the  Rovers 
heard  him  tiptoe  his  way  down  the  hall. 

"I  think  this  attack  was  gotten  up  by  the 


A  HAZING,  AND  WHAT  FOLLOWED         6l 

Flockley-Koswell  crowd,"  was  Dick's  comment. 
"Maybe  it  wasn't  sanctioned  by  the  other  sophs 
at  all." 

The  Rovers  waited  a  while  longer  and  then 
with  caution  they  pulled  back  the  bed  and  the 
table  and  opened  the  door.  By  the  dim  light 
in  the  hallway  they  saw  that  the  place  was  de- 
serted. Somebody  had  run  a  mop  over  the  pol- 
ished floor,  thus  taking  up  most  of  the  water. 

"I  guess  they  have  given  it  up  for  to-night," 
said  Dick,  and  his  words  proved  correct. 

After  waiting  a  good  hour  the  three  Rovers 
rearranged  the  room,  hanging  up  some  of  the 
bedding  and  rugs  to  dry  near  the  window,  which 
they  left  wide  open.  Then  they  locked  the  door 
and  went  into  Dick's  room,  which  had  not  been 
disturbed.  As  they  did  this  another  door 
opened,  and  Stanley  poked  out  his  head,  fol- 
lowed by  Max. 

"We  heard  it  all,"  said  the  Southern  lad  with 
a  chuckle.  "Hope  you  doused  'em  good!" 

"We  did,"  answered  Tom.  "They  didn't 
tackle  you,  did  they?" 

"No;  but  I  suppose  they  will  later,  or  to- 
morrow." 

"I  am  ready  for  them  if  they  come,"  came 
from  Max.  "I  got  this,"  and  he  held  up  a  long, 
white  sack. 


62  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Sam. 

"Plaster  of  Paris.  If  they  tackle  me  I'll  make 
'em  look  like  marble  statues  already."  And  the 
German-American  youth  winked  one  eye  sug- 
gestively. 

Despite  the  excitement  the  Rover  boys  slept 
soundly  for  the  rest  of  the  night.  All  were 
rather  sleepy  in  the  morning,  but  a  good  wash 
in  cold  water  brightened  them  greatly.  While 
getting  ready  for  breakfast  they  looked  for 
Plockley  and  Koswell,  but  those  two  students, 
as  well  as  Larkspur,  kept  out  of  sight. 

"They  don't  like  the  way  matters  turned  out 
last  night,"  said  Dick. 

On  entering  the  dining-room  they  saw  the 
sophomores  at  a  nearby  table.  Flockley  and 
Koswell  glared  darkly,  while  as  they  passed, 
Larkspur  put  out  his  foot  to  trip  Sam  up. 
But  Sam  was  on  guard,  and  instead  of  stumbling 
he  stepped  on  the  fellow's  ankle,  something  that 
caused  Larkspur  to  utter  a  gasp  of  pain. 

"What  did  you  do  that  for?"  he  demanded 
savagely. 

"Sorry,  but  you  shouldn't  sprawl  all  over  with 
your  feet,"  answered  the  youngest  Rover  coldly, 
and  passed  on  to  his  seat.  When  he  looked  back, 
Larkspur,  watching  his  chance  so  that  no  teach- 
er might  see  him,  shook  his  fist  at  Sam 


A  HAZING,  AND  WHAT  FOLLOWED        63 

"We  have  got  to  keep  our  eyes  wide  open  for 
that  bunch,"  was  Dick's  comment.  "Last 
night's  affair  will  make  Flockley  and  Koswell 
more  sour  than  ever,  and  Larkspur  is  evidently 
their  tool,  and  willing  to  do  anything  they  wish 
done." 

After  chapel  the  Rovers  were  assigned  to  their 
various  classes  and  given  their  text-books.  It 
was  announced  that  no  regular  classes  would  be 
called  until  the  following  Monday  morning. 

"That  gives  us  plenty  of  time  to  study  our 
first  lessons,"  said  Sam. 

"Yes,  and  gives  us  time  to  get  acquainted 
with  the  college  layout  and  the  rest  of  the  stu- 
dents," added  Tom.  "Do  you  know,  I  think 
I  am  going  to  like  it  bang-up  here." 

"Just  what  I  was  thinking,"  returned  Dick. 
"It  isn't  quke  so  boyish  as  Putnam  Hall  was — 
some  of  the  seniors  are  young  men — but  that 
doesn't  matter.  We  are  growing  older  our- 
selves." 

"Gracious,  I'm  not  old!"  cried  Tom.  "Why, 
I  feel  like  a  two-year-old  colt!"  And  to  prove 
his  words  he  did  several  steps  of  a  jig. 

Only  about  half  of  the  students  had  as  yet  ar- 
rived, the  others  being  expected  that  day,  Fri- 
day, and  Saturday.  The  college  coach  was  to 
bring  in  some  of  the  boys  about  eleven  o'clock, 


64  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

and  the  Rovers  wondered  if  Songbird  Powell 
would  be  among  them. 

"You'll  like  Songbird,"  said  Dick  to  Stanley 
Browne.  "He's  a  great  chap  for  manufacturing 
what  he  calls  poetry,  but  he  isn't  one  of  the 
dreamy  kind — he's  as  bright  and  chipper  as  you 
find  'em." 

The  boys  walked  down  to  the  gymnasium,  and 
there  Sam  and  Tom  took  a  few  turns  on  the  bars 
and  tried  the  wooden  horses.  While  they  did 
this  Dick  talked  to  a  number  of  the  freshmen 
with  whom  he  had  become  acquainted. 

"We  are  to  have  a  necktie  rush  Monday," 
said  one  boy.  "Every  fellow  is  to  wear  the  col- 
lege colors.  Meet  on  the  campus  an  hour  before 
supper  time." 

"I'll  be  there,"  said  Dick.  He  knew  what  was 
meant  by  a  necktie  rush.  All  the  freshmen 
would  don  neckties  showing  the  college  colors, 
and  the  sophomores,  and  perhaps  the  juniors, 
would  do  their  best  to  get  the  neckties  away 
from  them.  If  more  than  half  the  boys  lost 
their  ties  before  the  supper  bell  rang  the  fresh- 
men would  be  debarred  from  wearing  the  colors 
for  that  term. 

Shortly  before  eleven  o'clock  a  shout  was 
heard  on  the  road,  and  a  number  of  the  students 
made  a  rush  in  that  direction.  The  college  coach 


'A  HAZING,  AND  WHAT  FOLLOWED        65 

swung  into  sight  in  a  cloud  of  dust.  It  was 
fairly  overflowing  with  boys  and  young  men,  all 
yelling  and  singing  and  waving  their  hats  and 
caps.  At  the  sight  those  on  the  campus  set  up 
a  cheer. 

"This  is  something  like!"  cried  Tom  enthusi- 
astically. He  wanted  to  see  things  "warm  up," 
as  he  expressed  it. 

The  coach  was  followed  by  three  carriages, 
and  all  deposited  their  loads  at  the  main  build- 
ing steps  and  on  the  campus.  There  were  more 
cheers  and  many  handshakes. 

"There  he  is!"  cried  Sam,  and  rushing  for- 
ward, he  caught  John  Powell  by  the  hand,  shook 
it,  and  relieved  the  newcomer  of  his  suit  case. 

"Hello,  Sam!"  cried  Songbird,  and  grinned 
from  ear  to  ear.  "Hello,  Dick!  Hello,  Tom! 
Say,  did  I  surprise  you?"  And  now  he  shook 
hands  with  the  others. 

"You  sure  did,"  repl&d  Dick.  "I  was  afraid 
I  was  going  to  have  a  stranger  for  a  roommate. 
Your  coming  here  suits  me  to  a  T!" 

"I  didn't  write  to  you  because  I  wanted  to 
surprise  you,"  explained  Songbird.  "I've  com- 
posed some  verses  about  it.  They  start " 

"Never  mind  the  verses  now,"  interrupted 
Tom.  "Come  on  in  and  we'll  introduce  you  to 
the  fellows,  and  then  we'll  listen  to  your  story. 


66  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

And  we'll  tell  you  some  things  that  will  sur- 
prise you." 

"And  I'll  tell  you  some  things  that  will  sur- 
prise you,  too,"  returned  John  Powell,  as  he  wa* 
led  away  by  the  three  Rover  boys. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  ARRIVAL  OF  SONGBIRD 

"So  you've  made  some  enemies  as  well  as 
some  friends,  eh?"  remarked  Songbird  Powell, 
after  he  had  been  registered,  taken  up  to  his 
room,  and  had  listened  to  what  the  Rover  boys 
had  to  tell.  "No  use  of  talking,  it  doesn't  take 
you  fellows  long  to  stir  things  up!" 

"You  said  you  had  a  surprise  for  us,  Song- 
bird," returned  Tom.  "I'm  dying  by  inches  to 
know  what  it  is." 

"Maybe  it's  a  new  poem,"  put  in  Sam  with  a 
grimace  at  his  brothers. 

"I've  got  a  poem — several  of  them,  in  fact," 
answered  Songbird,  "but  I  didn't  have  those  in 
mind  when  I  spoke.  Who  do  you  suppose  I  met 
yesterday  morning,  in  Ithaca,  while  I  was  wait- 
ing for  the  train?" 

"Dora  Stanhope  and  the  Lanings,"  answered 
Tom  promptly. 

"No.    TadSobber." 

67 


68  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"Tad  Sobber!"  exclaimed  the  Rover  boys  in 
concert. 

"Songbird,  are  you  sure  of  it?"  demanded 
Dick. 

"Sure?    Wasn't  I  talking  to  him!" 

"But — but — I  thought  he  was  lost  in  that 
hurricane,  when  the  Josephine  was  wrecked." 

"No.  It  seems  he  escaped  to  a  vessel  bound 
for  England;  but  his  uncle,  Sid  Merrick,  was 
lost,  and  so  were  most  of  the  others.  Sobber 
just  got  back  from  England — came  in  on  one 
of  the  ocean  liners,  so  he  told  me." 

"How  did  he  act?"  asked  Tom. 

"Where  was  he  going?"  added  Sam. 

"Did  he  seem  to  have  any  money?"  came  from 
Dick. 

All  of  the  Rovers  were  intensely  interested, 
and  showed  it  plainly. 

"Say,  one  question  at  a  time,  please!"  cried 
Songbird.  "You  put  me  in  mind  of  a  song  I 
once  xrrote  about  a  little  boy : 

*  'A  little  lad  named  Johnny  Spark 
Was  nothing  but  a  question  mark. 
He  asked  his  questions  night  and  day, 
When  he  was  resting  or  at  play. 
One  minute  he  would  tackle  pa, 
And  then  he'd  turn  and  tackle  ma; 
And  then  his  uncle  he  would  quiz "* 

"And  let  that  line  please  end  the  bir," 


THE  ARRIVAL  OF  SONGBIRD  69 

finished  Tom.  "Say,  Songbird,  please  don't 
quote  poetry  when  we  are  waiting  to  hear  all 
about  Tad  Sobber.  Have  some  pity  on  us." 

"Yes,  tell  us  of  Sobber,"  added  Sam  and  Dick. 

"All  right,  if  you  don't  appreciate  my  verses," 
returned  the  would-be  poet  with  a  sigh.  "Well, 
to  start  with,  Tad  Sobber  was  well  dressed,  and 
looked  as  if  he  had  all  the  money  he  needed.  He 
wore  a  brown  checkered  suit,  so  evidently  he 
hasn't  gone  into  mourning  for  his  uncle.  He 
told  me  he  had  had  a  rough  experience  on  the 
ocean  during  the  hurricane,  and  he  blames  you 
Rovers  for  all  his  troubles." 

"That's  just  like  Sobber,"  was  Dick's  com- 
ment. 

"He  wouldn't  tell  me  where  he  was  going  or 
what  he  was  going  to  do,  but  he  did  let  drop  a 
remark  or  two  about  the  fortune  you  discovered 
on  Treasure  Isle.  He  said  that  he  was  firmly 
convinced  that  the  money  belonged  to  him  and 
to  his  uncle's  estate,  and  that  he  meant  some 
day  to  make  a  fight  for  it." 

"In  the  courts?"  asked  Tom.  "If  he  does  that 
he'll  get  beaten.  Father  says  the  treasure  be- 
longs to  the  Stanhope  estate  and  to  nobody 
else." 

"No,  he  didn't  say  he  was  going  to  court 


70  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

about  it,  but  he  said  he  was  bound  to  get  hold 
of  it  some  day." 

"I  hope  he  doesn't  try  to  get  it  by  force," 
said  Sam.  "That  would  mean  trouble  for  the 
Stanhopes  and  the  Lanings." 

"The  money  is  in  the  banks  now,  Sam,"  said 
Dick.  "He  couldn't  get  hold  of  it  excepting  on 
an  order  from  those  to  wtiom  it  belongs." 

"And  they'll  never  give  him  any  such  order," 
added  Tom. 

"Do  you  suppose  he  was  going  to  see  the 
Stanhopes  and  the  Lanings?"  questioned  the 
oldest  Rover  anxiously. 

"He  didn't  say.  I  wanted  to  question  him 
further,  but  a  man  who  was  standing  on  a  cor- 
ner, some  distance  away,  beckoned  to  him,  and 
he  left  me  and  joined  the  man,  and  the  two 
walked  off." 

"Who  was  the  man?" 

"I  don't  know." 

The  boys  talked  the  matter  over  for  some 
time,  but  Songbird  had  nothing  more  to  tell, 
and  at  last  the  subject  was  dropped.  Songbird 
was  introduced  to  Stanley,  Max,  and  a  number 
of  the  other  students,  and  soon  he  felt  quite  at 
home. 

That  evening  there  was  a  bit  of  hazing.  Dick 
and  Tom  escaped,  but  Sam,  Songbird  and  Stan- 


THE  ARRIVAL  OF  SONGBIRD  71 

ley  were  caught  in  the  lower  hallway  by  a  num- 
ber of  the  sophomores  and  carried  bodily  to  the 
gymnasium,  Here  they  were  tossed  in  blankets 
'and  then  blindfolded. 

"We'll  take  them  to  the  river,"  said  one  of 
the  sophomores.  "A  bath  will  do  them  good." 

"Let's  give  'em  a  rubbing  down  with  mud!" 
cried  Jerry  Koswell.  He  had  some  tar  handy, 
and  if  the  mud  was  used  he  intended  to  mix 
some  of  the  tar  with  it  on  the  sly. 

"That's  the  talk!"  cried  Larkspur,  who  knew 
about  the  tar,  he  having  purchased  it  for  Kos- 
well and  Flockley.  The  three  had  at  first  in- 
tended to  smear  the  beds  of  the  Rovers  with  it, 
but  had  gotten  no  chance. 

"Give  them  a  good  dose!"  said  Dudd  Flock- 
ley.  He  had  joined  in  the  blanket-tossing  with 
vigor. 

Sam,  Songbird  and  Stanley  were  being  led  to 
the  river  when  Max  came  rushing  up  to  Tom 
and  Dick,  who  happened  to  be  in  the  library, 
looking  over  some  works  of  travel. 

"Come  on  mit  you!"  he  cried  excitedly  in 
broken  English.  "Da  have  got  Sam  and  Stan- 
ley and  dot  friend  of  yours  alretty!  Hurry  up, 
or  da  was  killed  before  we  git  to  help  'em!" 

"They?    Who?"  asked  Dick,  leaping  up. 


72  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"Sophs — down  by  der  gym!"  And  then  Max 
cooled  down  a  bit  and  related  what  he  had  seen. 

"We  must  surely  go  to  the  rescue!"  cried 
Tom.  "Wait!  I'll  get  clubs  for  all  hands!" 
And  he  rushed  up  to  his  room,  where  in  a  cloth- 
ing closet  lay  the  end  of  the  hose  he  had  taken 
away  from  the  sophomores.  With  his  knife  he 
cut  the  section  of  hose  into  eight  "clubs,"  and 
with  these  in  his  hands  he  hurried  below  again. 

At  a  cry  from  Dick  and  Max  the  freshmen 
commenced  to  gather  on  the  campus,  and  Tom 
quickly  handed  around  the  sections  of  hose. 
Other  first-year  lads  procured  sticks,  boxing 
gloves,  and  other  things,  and  looked  around  for 
somebody  to  lead  them. 

"Come  on!"  cried  Dick,  and  he  sprang  to  the 
front,  with  Tom  on  one  side  and  Max  on  the 
other.  The  German-American  boy  had  a  big 
squirtgun  filled  with  water,  a  gun  used  by  the 
gardener  for  spraying  the  bushes. 

The  sophomores  had  captured  four  more 
freshmen,  and  marched  all  of  the  crowd  down  to 
the  river  front,  when  the  band  under  Dick,  six- 
teen strong,  appeared.  The  latter  came  on  yell- 
ing like  Indians,  and  flourishing  their  sections 
of  hose,  and  sticks  and  other  things. 

"Let  'em  go!  Let  'em  go!"  was  the  rallying 
cry,  and  then  whack!  whack!  whack!  down  came 


THE  ARRIVAL  OF  SONGBIRD  73 

the  rubber  clubs  and  the  sticks  on  the  backs  of 
the  second-year  students. 

"Fight  'em  off!"  came  from  the  sophomores. 

"Chase  'em  away!"  yelled  Dudd  Flockley;  but 
hardly  had  he  spoken  when  Max  discharged  the 
squirtgun,  and  the  water  took  Flockley  in  the 
eye,  causing  him  to  yell  with  fright  and  retreat. 
Then  Max  turned  the  gun  on  Larkspur,  soaking 
the  latter  pretty  thoroughly. 

Attacked  from  the  rear,  the  sophomores  had 
to  let  go  their  holds  on  their  victims,  and  as 
soon  as  they  were  released  Sam,  Songbird  and 
the  others  ran  to  the  right  and  the  left  and 
joined  the  force  under  Dick. 

All  told,  the  freshmen  now  numbered  twenty- 
three,  while  the  sophomores  could  count  up 
but  fourteen.  The  second-year  students  were 
hemmed  in  and  gradually  forced  nearer  and  near- 
er to  the  bank  of  the  river. 

"Let  up!  let  up!"  yelled  several  in  alarm. 
"Don't  knock  us  overboard!" 

"It's  nothing  but  mud  here!  I  don't  want  my 
new  suit  spoiled !"  cried  one. 

"I  can't  swim!"  added  another. 

"I've  got  an  idea,"  whispered  Tom  to  the  oth- 
ers near  him.  "Shove  'em  in  the  mud  and  water, 
or  else  make  'em  promise  not  to  take  part  in 
the  necktie  rush." 


74  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"That's  the  talk!"  replied  Dick.  He  caught 
hold  of  the  sophomore  in  front  of  him.  "All 
shove,  fellows!"  And  the  second-year  students 
were  gradually  forced  to  the  very  edge  of  the 
river  at  a  point  where  there  was  a  little  water 
and  a  good  deal  of  dark,  sticky  mud.  Of  course 
they  fought  desperately  to  push  the  freshmen 
back,  but  they  were  outnumbered,  as  already 
told. 

"Now,  then,  every  fellow  who  will  promise  not 
to  take  part  in  the  necktie  rush  Monday  will 
be  allowed  to  go  free,"  said  Dick  loudly.  "The 
others  must  take  their  ducking  in  the  water—- 
and mud." 

"Let  me  go!"  roared  Dudd  Flockley.  "I'm 
not  going  to  have  this  suit  ruined!" 

"I  don't  want  to  get  these  patent  leathers 
wet!"  cried  Jerry  Koswell,  who  had  on  a  new 
pair  of  shiny  shoes. 

"Then  promise!"  cried  Sam,  and  "Promise!** 
"Promise!"  came  from  many  others. 

Without  delay  several  of  the  sophomores 
promised,  and  they  were  allowed  to  depart. 
Then  the  others  began  to  show  fight,  and  three 
managed  to  escape,  among  them  being  Dudd 
Flockley.  The  others  were  forced  into  the  water 
and  mud  up  to  their  knees.  Then  they  cried 
out  in  alarm,  and  while  two  finally  escaped,  the 


THE  ARRIVAL  OF  SONGBIRD  75 

others  also  promised  to  keep  out  of  the  necktie 
contest. 

"Just  wait!"  snarled  Jerry  Koswell  as  he  at 
last  managed  to  pull  himself  out  of  the  sticky 
mud.  "Just  wait,  that's  all !"  His  patent-leather 
shoes  were  a  sight  to  behold. 

"Not  so  much  fun  when  you  are  hazed  your- 
self, is  it?"  asked  Sam  coolly. 

"We'll  give  it  to  'em  yet,"  put  in  Bart  Lark- 
spur. "Lots  of  time  between  now  and  the  clos- 
ing of  the  term."  And  then  he  and  Koswell  ran 
off  to  join  Dudd  Flockley.  The  three  went  to 
their  rooms  and  cleaned  up  as  best  they  could, 
and  then  took  a  walk  down  the  road  in  the  di- 
rection of  Rushville. 

"It  was  that  Dick  Rover  who  led  the  attack," 
said  Dudd  Flockley.  "Do  you  know  what  I 
think?  I  think  he  is  going  to  try  to  make  him- 
self leader  of  the  freshies." 

"Just  what  I  thought,  too,"  answered  Lark- 
spur. "And  if  that's  the  fact  we  ought  to  do  all 
we  can  to  pull  him  down." 

"Tom  Rover  is  the  fellow  I  am  going  to  get 
after,"  came  from  Jerry  Koswell.  He  had  not 
forgotten  how  Tom  and  Sam  had  sent  him  to 
the  floor  in  the  presence  of  Minnie  Sanderson. 

The  three  students  walked  a  distance  of  half 
a  mile  when  they  saw  approaching  them  a 


76  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

trampish-looking  man  carrying  what  looked  to 
be  a  new  dress-suit  case.     They  looked  at  the 
?1  fellow  rather  sharply  and  he  halted  as  he  came 
up  to  them. 

"Excuse  me,"  he  mumbled,  "but  did  any  of 
you  gents  lose  this  case?" 

"Why,  it  must  be  Rover's  case!"  cried  Flock- 
ley.  Nearly  every  one  in  the  college  had  heard 
about  the  missing  baggage. 

"I  found  it  in  the  bushes  alongside  the  road," 
went  on  the  tramp.  "Thought  it  might  belong 
to  some  of  the  college  gents." 

"Let  me  look  at  it,"  said  Koswell,  and  turned 
the  case  around.  "Yes,  it's  Rover's,"  he  added, 
seeing  the  initials  and  the  address. 

"Better  take  it  up  to  the  college,"  put  in 
Larkspur. 

"Wait,  I'll  take  it  up,"  said  Jerry  Koswell 
suddenly.  "This  belongs  to  a  poor  chap,"  he 
added  to  the  tramp.  "He  won't  be  able  to  re- 
ward you,  but  I  will.  Here's  a  quarter  for  you/' 
And  he  passed  over  the  silver  piece. 

"Much  obliged,"  said  the  tramp.  "Want  me 
to  carry  it  up  to  the  buildings  ?" 

"No,  I'll  do  that,"  said  Koswell,  and  then  he 
winked  at  his  cronies.  The  tramp  went  on  and 
the  three  watched  him  disappear  in  the  distance. 

"What  did  you  do  that  for,  Jerry?"  asked 


THE  ARRIVAL  OF  SONGBIRD  77 

Flockley  with  interest.    He  surmised  that  some- 
thing new  was  afoot. 

"Oh,  I  did  it  for  the  fun  of  the  thing,"  an- 
swered Koswell  coolly.  "But  maybe  I  can  work 
it  in  somehow  against  that  Rover  bunch.  Any- 
way, I'll  try." 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE   COLORS    CONTEST 

THE  next  morning  Tom  was  much  surprised 
to  find  his  missing  dress-suit  case  standing  in 
front  of  his  room  door. 

"Hello!  How  did  this  get  here?"  he  cried 
*s  he  picked  up  the  baggage. 

"What's  that?"  asked  Sam,  who  was  just  get- 
ting up. 

"Look!"  answered  his  brother,  and  brought 
the  case  in.  "Somebody  must  have  found  it  and 
left  it  here  while  I  was  asleep." 

"Very  kind,  whoever  he  was,"  said  Sam.  "Are 
the  contents  all  right?" 

,      Instead  of  answering  Tom  placed  the  suit  case 
'  on  a  chair  and  started  to  unlock  it. 

"Hello,  it's  unlocked!'  he  murmured.  "I 
thought  I  had  it  locked." 

He  shoved  back  the  clasps  and  threw  the  case 
open.  The  contents  were  much  jumbled,  but  he 

78 


THE  COLORS  CONTEST  79- 

had  expected  this  from  the  fact  that  the  bag  had 
been  jounced  out  of  the  carriage. 

"I  guess  the  stuff  is  all  here,"  he  said  slowly, 
turning  over  the  clothing  and  other  things. 
"Somehow,  I  thought  I  had  more  in  the  case, 
though,"  he  added  presently. 

"Don't  you  know  what  you  had?" 

"Well — er — I  packed  it  in  a  hurry,  you  know. 
I  wanted  to  go  fishing,  and  so  I  got  through  as 
soon  as  I  could.  Oh,  I  guess  it's  all  right." 

Tom  was  too  lively  a  youth  to  pay  much  at- 
tention to  his  personal  belongings.  Often  he 
hardly  knew  what  suit  of  clothing  he  had  on  or 
what  sort  of  a  necktie.  The  only  times  he  really 
fixed  up  was  when  Nellie  Laning  was  near.  Why 
he  did  that  only  himself  (and  possibly  Nellie) 
knew. 

Sunday  passed  quietly.  Some  of  the  boys  at- 
tended one  or  another  of  the  churches  in  Ash- 
ton,  and  the  Rovers  went  with  them.  Dudd 
Flockley  and  his  cronies  took  a  walk  up  the 
river,  and  reaching  a  warm,  sunny  spot,  threw 
themselves  down  to  smoke  cigarettes  and  talk. 

"Well,  what  did  you  do  about  the  dress-suit 
case,  Jerry?"  asked  Flockley  with  a  sharp  look 
at  his  crony. 

"Returned  it,  as  you  know,"  was  the  answer., 
and  Jerry  winked  suggestively. 


8o  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"I'd  have  flung  the  bag  in  the  river  before 
I  would  give  it  to  such  a  chap  as  Tom  Rover," 
growled  Larkspur. 

"You  trust  me,  Larky,  old  boy,"  answered 
Jerry  Koswell.  "I  know  what  I'm  doing." 

"Humph!" 

"I  said  I  returned  the  case,  but  I  didn't  say 
I  returned  all  that  was  in  it." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that?"  demanded 
Flockley.  "If  you've  got  a  secret,  out  with  it." 

Koswell  looked  around  to  make  certain  that 
no  outsider  was  near. 

"I  kept  a  few  things  out  of  the  bag — some 
things  that  had  Tom  Rover's  name  or  his  initials 
on  them." 

"And  you  are  going  to "  went  on  Flock- 
ley. 

"I  am  going  to  use  'em  some  day,  when  I 
get  the  chance." 

"Good!"  cried  Flockley.  "I'll  help  you, 
Jerry!" 

"And  so  will  I,"  added  Larkspur.  "If  we  work 
it  right  we  can  get  Tom  Rover  in  a  peck  oi 
trouble." 

On  Monday  morning  the  college  term  opened 
in  earnest,  and  once  again  the  Rovers  had  to 
get  down  to  the  "grind,"  as  Sam  expressed  it. 
But  the  boys  had  had  a  long  vacation  and  were 


THE  COLORS  CONTEST  gl 

in  the  best  of  health,  and  they  did  not  mind  the 
studying. 

"Got  to  have  a  good  education  if  you  want 
to  get  along  nowadays,"  was  the  way  Diek  ex- 
pressed himself.  "If  you  don't  learn  you  are 
bound  to  be  at  the  mercy  of  anybody  who  wants 
to  take  advantage  of  your  ignorance." 

"Dick,  what  are  you  going  to  do  when  you 
get  out  of  college?"  asked  Tom. 

"I  don't  know — go  into  business,  I  imagine." 

"Oh,  he'll  marry  and  settle  down,"  chimed  in 
Sam.  "He  and  Dora  will  live  in  an  ivy-covered 
cottage  like  two  turtle  doves,  and " 

Sam  got  no  further,  for  a  pillow  thrown  by 
Dick  caught  him  full  in  the  face  and  made  him 
stagger. 

"Sam  is  thinking  of  what  he  and  Grace  are 
going  to  do,"  said  Dick.  "And  you  and  Nellie 
will  likely  have  a  cottage  across  the  way,"  he 
added,  grinning  at  Tom. 

"Really!"  murmured  Tom,  and  got  as  red  as 
a  beet.  "Say,  call  it  off,"  he  added.  "Do  you 
know  we  have  the  necktie  rush  this  afternoon?" 

"It  won't  amount  to  much,"  answered  Sam. 
"Too  many  sophs  out  of  it." 

"Don't  you  believe  it,"  said  Dick.  "Remem- 
ber, the  juniors  come  into  this  as  well  as  the 
sophs." 


82  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"Say,  I've  thought  of  a  plan!"  cried  Tom. 
"Greatest  ever!  I'm  going  to  patent  it!"  And 
he  commenced  to  dance  around  in  his  excite- 
ment. 

"What's  loose?"  asked  Songbird,  coming  up 
at  that  moment,  followed  by  some  others.  "Tom, 
have  you  got  a  pain  in  your  inwards  ?" 

"No,  an  idea — it's  about  the  same  thing,"  re- 
sponded Tom  gaily.  "We  want  to  get  the  best 
of  the  second  and  third-year  fellows  during  the 
necktie  rush,  and  I  think  I  know  how  we  can  do 
it.  We'll  all  sew  our  neckties  fast!" 

For  a  moment  there  was  silence,  and  then,  as 
the  others  caught  the  idea,  they  commenced 
to  laugh. 

"That's  it!"  cried  Sam.  "I'll  sew  mine  as 
tight  as  a  drum!" 

"I'll  rivet  mine  on,  if  that  will  do  any  good," 
added  Dick. 

"Sure  thing!"  came  from  Songbird,  and  he 
•commenced  to  recite: 

"Oh,  the  sophs  and  the  juniors  will  try 
To  steal  from  the  freshies  each  tie; 
But  they  will  not  win, 
For  we'll  fight  them  like  sin " 

"And  bust  'em  right  plumb  in  the  eye !" 


THE  COLORS  CONTEST  £3 

finished  Tom.  "Oh,  say,  but  will  you  all  sew 
your  neckties  fast?" 

"Sure!" 

"And  we'll  tell  the  rest  to  do  so,  too,"  added 
another  freshman  who  was  present. 

The  news  soon  circulated,  and  was  kept  from 
all  but  the  first-year  students. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  many  of  the  stu- 
dents found  it  hard  to  fix  their  minds  on  their 
lessons  that  afternoon.  One  boy,  Max  Span- 
gler,  brought  on  a  great  laugh  when  the  follow- 
ing question  was  put  to  him:  « 

"What  great  improvement  in  navigation  did 
Fulton  introduce?" 

"Neckties,"  answered  Max  abstractedly. 

"Neckties?"  queried  the  instructor  in  aston- 
ishment. 

"I — er — I  don't  mean  neckties,"  stammered 
the  German-American  student,  "I  mean  steam- 
boats." 

When  the  afternoon  session  was  over  the  stu- 
dents hurried  to  their  various  rooms.  The  soph- 
omores and  the  juniors  who  were  to  take  part 
in  the  contest  talked  matters  over,  and  as  far 
as  possible  laid  out  a  plan  of  action.  It  was 
decided  that  the  largest  and  heaviest  of  the 
second  and  third-year  students  were  to  tackle 


84  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

the  smallest  freshmen  first,  while  the  others  were 
to  hold  the  rest  of  the  first-year  men  at  bay. 

"We'll  get  fifteen  or  twenty  neckties  first  clip 
that  way,"  said  one  of  the  sophomores,  "and  it 
doesn't  matter  who  we  get  them  from.  A  lit- 
tle chap's  tie  counts  as  much  as  that  of  a  two- 
hundred  pounder." 

In  the  meantime  the  freshmen  were  busy  fol- 
lowing Tom's  advice  and  sewing  their  ties  fast 
to  their  collars,  shirts,  and  even  their  under- 
shirts. Then  Dick,  who  had,  unconsciously  al- 
most, become  a  leader,  called  the  boys  into  an 
empty  recitation-room. 

"Now,  I've  got  a  plan,"  said  he.  "We  want 
to  bunch  up,  and  all  the  little  fellows  and  light- 
weights get  in  the  center.  The  heavy  fellows 
can  take  the  outside  and  fight  the  others  off. 
Understand?" 

"Yes!" 

"That's  a  good  idea!" 

"Forward  to  the  fray!"  yelled  Stanley,  "and 
woe  be  to  him  who  tries  to  get  my  tie!  His 
blood  be  on  his  own  head!"  he  added  tragically. 

"Forward!"  cried  Sam,  "and  let  our  watch- 
Word  be,  'Die,  but  no  tie!'  " 

"Now  don't  get  excited,"  said  Dick.  "Take 
it  coolly,  and  I'm  certain  that  when  the  time 
Is  up  we'll  have  the  most  of  our  ties  still  on." 


THE  COLORS  CONTEST  85 

It  was  the  custom  to  go  out  on  the  campus 
at  a  given  time,  and  when  the  chapel  bell  sound- 
ed out  the  hour  Dick  led  the  freshmen  forward. 
They  came  out  of  a  side  door  in  a  body  and 
formed  around  the  flagstaff  almost  before  the 
sophomores  and  juniors  knew  they  had  ap- 
peared. 

The  seniors  took  no  part,  but  three  had  been 
"told  off"  to  act  as  referees,  and  they  stood 
around  as  if  inspecting  the  buildings  and  the 
scenery.  The  instructors,  who  also  knew  what 
was  coming,  wisely  kept  out  of  sight. 

"Come  on,  and  at  'em!"  called  out  Dudd 
Flockley,  and  this  cry  was  quickly  taken  up  by 
all  the  others  who  were  to  take  part  in  the 
contest. 

"Hello!  They  know  a  thing  or  two,"  said 
Frank  Holden,  who  was  the  sophomore  leader 
in  the  attack.  "They've  got  the  little  fellows 
in  the  middle." 

As  tightly  as  possible  the  freshmen  gathered 
around  the  flagstaff.  Each  wore  a  necktie  of 
the  college  colors  and  it  was  fastened  as  tightly 
as  strong  thread  could  hold  it. 

"At  'em!"  was  the  yell  of  the  second  and 
third-year  lads.  "Tear  'em  apart !  Pull  the  ties 
from  'em!" 

And  then  they  leaped  in  at  the  big  freshmen, 


86  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

and  on  the  instant  a  battle  royal  was  started. 
Down  went  four  boys  on  the  campus,  rolling 
over  and  over.  Others  caught  each  other  by 
the  hands  and  shoulders  and  wrestled  valiantly. 

Dick  and  Tom  were  in  the  front  rank,  with 
Sam  directly  behind  them.  Dick  was  caught 
by  Frank  Holden,  and  the  two  wrestled  with 
might  and  main.  Frank  was  big  and  strong,  but 
Dick  managed  to  hold  him  so  that  all  the  sopho- 
more leader  could  do  was  to  get  his  finger  tips 
on  the  sought-for  necktie. 

Flockley  tackled  Tom,  and  much  to  his  sur- 
prise was  tripped  up  and  sent  flat  on  his  back. 
Mad  with  sudden  rage,  Flockley  scrambled  up 
and  let  out  a  savage  kick  for  Tom's  stomach. 
But  Tom  was  too  quick  for  the  sophomore,  and 
leaped  to  one  side. 

"Foul!"  cried  Tom. 

"Don't  do  that  again!"  called  one  of  the  se- 
niors to  Dudd.  "If  you  do  you'll  be  ruled  out." 
Kicking  and  punching  were  prohibited  by  the 
rules.  All  the  boys  could  do  was  to  wrestle  and 
throw  each  other,  and  either  try  to  pull  the 
neckties  away  or  hold  on  to  them. 

On  and  on  the  battle  waged,  each  minute 
growing  hotter.  Many  of  the  students  were 
almost  winded,  and  felt  that  they  could  not  en- 
dure the  struggle  much  longer.  Dick,  Tom  and 


THE  COLORS  CONTEST  87 

Sam  managed  to  keep  their  neckties,  although 
Sam's  was  torn  loose  by  two  sophomores  who 
held  him  as  in  a  vise  until  Stanley  came  to  his 
assistance.  When  the  time  was  half  up  eleven 
neckties  had  been  captured — two  of  them  al- 
most torn  to  shreds. 

"At  'em!"  yelled  Frank  Holden.  "We  haven't 
begun  yet!" 

"Hold  'em  back!"  was  Dick's  rallying  answer. 
"Don't  let  'em  get  near  the  little  fellows!" 

Again  the  contest  raged,  and  this  time  with 
increased  bitterness.  In  the  melee  some  few 
blows  were  exchanged,  but  it  must  be  admitted 
that  one  side  was  about  as  much  to  blame  for 
this  as  the  other.  Three  additional  neckties 
were  captured,  making  fourteen  in  all.  As  thir- 
ty-seven freshmen  were  in  the  contest,  the  soph- 
omores and  juniors  had  to  capture  five  more 
neckties  to  win. 

"Only  three  minutes  more!"  sang  out  one  stu< 
dent,  looking  at  his  watch.  "At  'em!  Rip  'en? 
apart!" 

!     "Three  minutes  more!"  yelled  Dick.     "Hold 
'em  back  and  we'll  win!" 

The  enemy  fought  with  increased  fury,  and 
one  more  necktie  was  taken — the  collar  and  col- 
lar band  coming  with  it.  But  then  of  a  sudden 
the  chapel  bell  tolled  out  the  hour. 


88  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"Time's  up!"  was  the  cry. 

"And  we  win!"  came  from  a  score  of  fresh- 
men in  huge  delight. 

"Look  out!  Look  out!"  cried  several  small 
youths  in  the  center  of  the  crowd. 

Crack!  It  was  the  flagstaff,  and  all  looked  in 
that  direction.  The  pole,  old  and  decayed,  was 
falling.  It  looked  as  if  it  would  crush  all  who 
stood  in  its  path. 


CHAPTER  IX 


TOM  IN  TROUBLE 


"LOOK  out,  the  flagpole  is  coming  down !" 

"Stand  from  under,  or  you'll  be  killed!" 

Crack!  came  from  the  pole,  and  now  many 
saw  that  it  was  breaking  off  close  to  the  ground. 
Some  of  the  students  had  clung  to  it  during 
the  contest,  and  the  strain  had  been  too  much 
for  the  stick,  which  was  much  rotted  just  where 
it  entered  the  ground. 

Those  on  the  outside  of  the  crowd  ran  away 
with  ease,  but  not  so  those  who  were  hemmed 
in.  Two  of  the  smallest  of  the  freshmen,  Billy 
Dean  and  Charley  Atwood,  could  not  move  fast 
enough,  and  one  fell  over  the  other,  and  both 
went  down. 

"Save  me!"  gasped  one  of  the  lads. 

"Don't  let  the  pole  come  down  on  me!'r 
screamed  the  other. 

The  flagstaff  was  falling  swiftly,  and  Dick  and 
many  others  saw  that  it  would  fall  directly 

89 


90  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

across  Dean  and  Atwood  unless  its  progress  was 
stayed. 

"Hold  it  up!  Hold  it  up!"  yelled  Dick.  "Hold 
it  up,  or  they'll  be  killed!" 

He  put  up  his  hands  to  meet  the  pole,  which 
was  coming  down  across  the  front  of  the  cam' 
pus.  Tom  did  likewise,  and  so  did  Frank  Hoi- 
den,  Stanley  Brown,  and  several  others,  includ- 
ing an  extra  tall  and  powerful  senior. 

It  was  a  heavy  weight,  and  for  the  moment 
the  boys  under  it  thought  they  would  have  to 
let  it  go.  Over  came  the  pole,  and  when  it 
rested  on  the  boys'  hands  the  top  overbalanced 
the  bottom  and  struck  the  ground,  sending  the 
lower  end  into  the  air.  As  this  happened  Billy 
Dean  and  Charley  Atwood  were  hauled  out  of 
harm's  way.  Then  the  pole  was  dropped  to  the 
campus  with  a  thud. 

For  several  seconds  all  who  stood  near  were 
too  dazed  to  speak.  Then  a  cheer  arose  for 
those  who  had  held  the  flagstaff  up  long  enough 
for  the  small  youths  to  be  rescued. 

"Say,  that  was  a  close  shave!"  exclaimed  Sam. 
He,  like  a  good  many  others,  was  quite  pale. 

"It  was  indeed,"  said  a  senior  who  had  come 
up.  "The  fellows  who  held  the  pole  up  deserve 
a  good  deal  of  credit." 


TOM  IN  TROUBLE  91 

"Dick  Rover  suggested  it,"  said  Songbird. 
"Good  for  you,  Dick!"  he  added  warmly. 

The  falling  of  the  flagstaff  sobered  the  whole 
party  of  students,  yet  the  freshmen  were  jubi- 
fant  over  the  fact  that  they  had  won  in  the 
colors  contest. 

"And  we'll  wear  the  colors  this  term,"  cried 
Tom  proudly. 

"So  we  will!"  called  out  others  in  a  chorus. 
"We'll  wear  'em  good  and  strong,  too!"  And 
they  did.  The  very  next  day  some  of  the  lads 
came  out  with  neckties  twice  the  ordinary  size, 
and  with  hat  bands  several  inches  wide,  all,  of 
course,  in  the  Brill  colors. 

Billy  Dean  and  Charley  Atwood  were  much 
affected  by  what  had  occurred,  and  quickly  re- 
tired from  the  scene.  But  later  both  of  the 
small  students  thanked  Dick  and  the  others  for 
what  had  been  done  for  them.  The  broken  flag- 
staff was  hauled  away  by  the  laborers  of  the 
place,  and  inside  of  a  week  a  new  pole,  much 
larger  than  the  old  one,  and  set  in  concrete,  was 
put  up. 

For  several  days  after  the  contest  over  the 
colors  matters  ran  along  smoothly  at  Brill.  The 
Rover  boys  made  many  more  friends,  and  be- 
cause of  his  work  during  the  necktie  rush  Dick 
was  chosen  as  the  leader  of  the  freshmen's  class. 


92  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"On  Friday  I  am  going  to  fix  Tom  Rover," 
said  Jerry  Koswell  to  Dudd  Flockley.  "Just 
wait  and  see  what  I  do — and  keep  your  mouth 
shut." 

"I'll  keep  my  mouth  shut  right  enough,"  an- 
swered Dudd,  "but  what's  in  the  wind?" 

"I'm  going  to  pay  off  Professor  Sharp  for 
some  of  his  meanness — and  pay  off  Tom  Rover 
at  the  same  time." 

"Give  me  a  map  of  the  proceedings.  I'm  too 
tired  to  guess  riddles,  Jerry." 

"Well,  you  know  how  Sharp  called  me  down 
to-day  in  English?" 

"Sure!" 

"Well,  I've  learned  that  he  just  received  a 
new  photograph  of  some  lady — I  think  his  best 
girl.  He  has  it  on  the  mantle  in  his  room.  I'm 
going  to  doctor  that  picture,  and  I'm  going  to 
lay  the  blame  on  Tom  Rover." 

"How  will  you  do  it?" 

"By  using  something  I  got  out  of  Rover's 
dress-suit  case." 
v     "Oh,  I  see!" 

"Sharp  will  suspect  Rover  at  once,  because  he 
and  Rover  had  a  few  words  yesterday." 

"Good!  I  hope  he  catches  it  well — Rover,  I 
mean,"  answered  Dudd  Flockley. 

Saturday  was  more  or  less  of  a  holiday  at 


TOM  IN  TROUBLE  93 

Brill,  and  the  three  Rover  boys  planned  to  go 
to  town.  Incidentally,  they  wished  to  learn  if 
Dora  Stanhope  and  the  Laning  girls  had  as  yet 
arrived  at  Hope  Seminary.  They  had  received 
«io  letters  from  the  girls  since  coming  to  Brill, 
ind  were  growing  anxious. 

Tom  was  dressing  to  go  to  town  when  there 
came  a  knock  on  his  door,  and  one  of  the  proc- 
tors presented  himself. 

"Thomas  Rover,  you  are  wanted  at  the  office 
immediately,"  said  the  man. 

"What  for?"  asked  Tom. 

"Don't  ask  me,  ask  Professor  Sharp,"  an- 
swered the  proctor,  and  looked  at  Tom  keenly. 

Wondering  what  could  be  the  matter,  Tom 
finished  dressing,  and  in  a  few  minutes  present- 
ed himself  at  the  office.  President  Wallington 
•and  Professor  Sharp  were  both  waiting  for  him. 

"So  you've  come  at  last,  have  you,  you  young 
rascal!"  cried  Abner  Sharp  angrily.  "How  dare 
you  do  such  an  outrageous  thing?" 

"Gently,  professor,"  remonstrated  the  presi- 
lent  of  Brill.  "You  are  not  yet  certain " 

"Oh,  he  did  it,  I  am  sure  of  it!"  spluttered 
^rofessor  Sharp.  "I  declare  I  ought  to  have  him 
locked  up!" 

"Did  what?"  demanded  Tom,  who  was  much 
mystified  by  what  was  going  on. 


94  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"You  know  well  enough,  you  young  repro- 
bate!" stormed  the  instructor. 

"See  here,  Professor  Sharp,  I'm  neither  a  ras- 
,cal  nor  a  reprobate,  and  I  don't  want  you  to  call 
me  such!"  cried  Tom,  growing  angry  himself. 

"You  are,  and  I  will  have  you  to  under- 
stand  " 

"I  am  not,  and  if  you  call  me  bad  names  again 
I'll— I'll— knock  you  down!"  And  Tom  doubled 
tip  his  fists  as  he  spoke. 

"Rover,  be  quiet!"  exclaimed  Doctor  Walling- 
ton,  so  sternly  that  both  Tom  and  Professor 
Sharp  subsided.  "I'll  have  ne  scene  in  this  of- 
fice. You  must  behave  yourself  like  a  gentle- 
man while  you  are  here.  Professor,  you  must 
not  call  a  student  hard  names." 

"But  this  outrage,  sir!"  spluttered  the  in- 
structor. 

"We'll  soon  know  the  truth  of  the  matter." 

"I'd  like  to  know  what  you  are  talking 
k  about,"  said  Tom.  "I  haven't  committed  any 
outrage,  so  far  as  I  know." 

"Didn't  you  do  this?"  cried  Abner  Sharp,  and 
thrust  under  Tom's  nose  a  photograph  of  large 
1  size.  The  picture  had  once  represented  a  fairly 
good-looking  female  of  perhaps  thirty  years  of 
age,  but  now  the  hair  was  colored  a  fiery  red, 
and  the  end  of  the  nose  was  of  the  same  hue, 


TOM  IN  TROUBLE  95 

while  in  one  corner  of  the  dainty  mouth  was 
represented  a  big  cigar,  with  the  smoke  curling 
upward.  Under  the  photograph  was  scrawled 
in  blue  crayon,  "Ain't  she  my  darling?'" 

The  representation  struck  Tom  as  so  comical 
that  he  was  compelled  to  laugh  outright;  he 
simply  couldn't  help  it.  It  was  just  such  a  joke 
as  he  might  have  played  years  before,  perhaps 
on  old  Josiah  Crabtree,  when  at  Putnam  Hall. 

"Ha!  So  you  are  even  willing  to  laugh- 
in  my  face,  are  you!"  almost  screamed  Ab- 
ner  Sharp,  and  rushing  at  Tom  he  caught  the 
youth  and  shook  him  roughly.  "Do  you — er — 
know  that  this  lady  is  my — my  affianced  wife?"' 

"Let  me  go!"  cried  Tom,  and  shook  himself 
loose.  "Excuse  me,  sir.  I  know  I  hadn't  ought 
to  laugh,  but  it  looks  so — so  awfully  funny!" 
And  Tom  had  to  grin  again. 

"Rover!"  broke  in  the  president  of  Brill  stern- 
ly, "aren't  you  ashamed  to  do  such  a  thing  as 
this?" 

"Why — er — what  do  you  mean,  sir?" 

"Just  what  I  said." 

'Oh!"    A  light  began  to  break  in  on  the  fun-V 
loving  Rover's  mind.     "Do  you   think  I  did 
this?" 

"Didn't  you?" 

"Of  course  he  did!"  fumed  Professor  Sharp., 


p6  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"And  now  he  is  willing  to  laugh  over  his  das- 
tardly work!" 

"I  didn't  do  it,  sir,"  said  Tom  firmly. 

"You  are  certain?"  It  was  the  head  of  the 
college  who  asked  the  question. 

"Yes,  sir.     I  never  saw  that  picture  before." 

"But  I  have  the  proof  against  you!"  fairly 
shouted  Abner  Sharp.  "It  is  useless  for  you  to 
deny  your  guilt." 

"I  say  I  am  not  guilty." 

"Isn't  this  your  box,  Rover?" 

As  Professor  Sharp  uttered  these  words  he 
brought  to  light  a  German  silver  case  which 
Tom  had  picked  up  in  a  curiosity  shop  in  New 
York.  The  case  had  his  name  engraved  on  it, 
and  contained  pencils,  crayons,  and  other  things 
for  drawing. 

"Where  did  you  get  that?"  demanded  the 
youth. 

"Never  mind  where  I  got  it.    Isn't  it  yours?" 

"Yes." 

"Ha!  Do  you  hear  that,  Doctor  Wallington?" 
cried  Abner  Sharp  in  triumph.  "He  admits  the 
outfit  is  his!" 

"So  I  see,"  said  the  president  of  Brill,  and 
if  anything  his  face  grew  a  trifle  more  stern. 
"Then  you  admit  your  guilt,  Rover?"  he  ques- 
tioned. 


TOM  IN  TROUBLE 


97 


"What!    That  I  defaced  the  photograph?" 

"Yes." 

"No,  sir!  Didn't  I  say  I  had  never  seen  the 
picture  before?" 

"This  photograph  was  in  Professor  Sharp's 
room,  on  the  mantel.  The  room  was  locked  up, 
and  the  professor  carried  the  key.  This  box 
was  found  on  the  table,  beside  some  books.  You 
had  some  difficulty  with  the  professor  a  day  or 
two  ago  in  the  classroom." 

"I  didn't  touch  the  picture,  and  I  haven't  been 
near  Professor  Sharp's  room,"  answered  Tom 
stoutly.  "If  I  was  there,  would  I  be  fool  enough 
to  leave  that  box  behind,  with  my  name  en- 
graved on  it?  And  if  the  door  was  locked  how 
would  I  get  in?" 

"Did  you  lend  the  box  to  anybody?" 

"No.  The  fact  is,  I — er — I  thought  I  had 
left  the  box  home.  I Oh!" 

"Well?" 

"I  think  maybe  the  box  was  in  my  dress-suit 
case,  the  case  I  lost.  But  it  wasn't  in  the  case 
when  it  was  left  at  my  door  that  morning." 

"Oh,  nonsense!"  muttered  Professor  Sharp. 
"He  is  guilty,  sir,  and  he  might  as  well  own  up 
to  it  first  as  last." 

"I  have  told  the  strict  truth!"  cried  Tom 


98  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

hotly.  "I  am  not  in  the  habit  of  telling  false- 
hoods." 

"Have  you  any  other  proof  against  Rover, 
Professor  Sharp?" 

"Not  now,  but  I  may  be  able  to  pick  up  more 
later." 

"Hum!  This  is  certainly  a  serious  matter. 
Rover,  you  will  go  to  your  room  and  remain 
there  until  I  send  for  you  again." 

"Can't  I  go  down  to  town?"  asked  Tom. 

"Not  for  the  present.  I  intend  to  get  to  the 
bottom  of  this  affair,  if  I  possibly  can.  If  you 
are  innocent  you  shall  not  suffer.  But  at  pres- 
ent it  looks  to  me  as  if  you  were  guilty.  You 
may  go." 

"But,  sir " 

"Not  another  word  at  present.  I  have  other 
matters  to  attend  to.  I  shall  call  on  you  later. 
But  remain  in  your  room  until  I  send  somebody 
ior  you." 

An  angry  answer  arose  to  Tom's  lips,  but  he 
•checked  it.  In  the  college  Doctor  Wallington's 
word  was  law,  and  he  knew  he  would  only  make 
matters  worse  by  attempting  to  argue.  With 
a  heavy  heart  he  turned,  gazed  coldly  at  Pro- 
fessor Sharp,  and  left  the  office. 


CHAPTER  X 

SONGBIRD  MAKES  A  DISCOVERY 

"It's  all  up  with  me,"  said  Tom  to  his  brothers 
when  he  met  them  in  the  hall.  "I  can't  go  to 
town." 

"Why  not?"  asked  Sam. 

"Got  to  remain  in  my  room  until  Doctor  Wal- 
lington  sends  for  me." 

"What  have  you  been  doing,  Tom?"  came 
from  Dick. 

"Nothing."  And  then  Tom  told  of  what  had 
occurred  in  the  office.  His  brothers  listened  with 
much  interest. 

"This  is  the  work  of  some  enemy,"  said  Sam 
quickly. 

"And  the  one  who  got  hold  of  the  dress-suit 
case,"  added  Dick.  "Tom,  do  you  suspect  any 
one?" 

"Only  in  a  general  way — Koswell,  Flockley, 
Larkspur,  and  that  crowd." 

"It's  too  bad." 

"Say,  but  that  picture  was  a  sight!"  cried  the 
fun-loving  Rover,  and  giinned  broadly.  "No 

99 


100  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

wonder  old  Sharp  was  mad.  I'd  be  mad  my- 
self, especially  if  it  was  a  photo  of  my  best  girl." 

"I  hope  the  doctor  doesn't  keep  you  in  the 
room  all  day,"  said  Sam. 

"You  and  Dick  might  as  well  go  to  town 
without  me,"  returned  Tom  with  a  sigh  that  he 
endeavored  to  suppress.  "Your  staying  here 
won't  do  me  any  good." 

"What  will  you  do?" 

"Oh,  read  or  study.  It  will  give  me  a  chance 
to  catch  up  in  my  Latin.  I  was  a  bit  rocky 
in  that  yesterday.  I  can  bone  away  until  the 
president  sends  a  special  message  for  me." 

"Want  us  to  get  anything  for  you?"  ques- 
tioned Dick. 

"Yes,  a  good  fat  letter  from — well,  a  fat  let- 
ter, that's  all." 

"Postmarked  Cedarville,  and  in  Nellie  Lan- 
ing's  handwriting,"  came  from  Sam  slyly. 

"I  didn't  know  they  postmarked  letters  in 
handwriting,"  answered  Tom  innocently. 

"Oh,  you  know  what  I  mean." 

"Sure,  Sam,  for  I  know  you're  looking  for 
a  letter,  too.  Well,  run  along,  children,  and 
play,"  said  Tom,  and  a  minute  later  Sam  and 
Dick  set  off  for  Ashton. 

Tom  did  not  feel  as  lighthearted  as  his  words 
would  seem  to  indicate.  He  knew  that  the 


SONGBIRD  MAKES  A  DISCOVERY         ioi 

charge  against  him  was  a  serious  one,  and  he 
saw  no  way  of  clearing  himself.  The  finding  of 
the  box  with  his  name  on  it  seemed  to  be  proof 
positive  against  him. 

"No  use  of  talking,  the  minute  I  get  to  school 
I  seem  to  get  into  trouble,"  he  soliloquized. 
"Wonder  if  they'll  put  me  in  a  cell,  like  old 
Crabtree  did  at  Putnam  Hall?  If  they  do  I'll 
raise  a  kick,  sure  as  eggs  are  unhatched  chick- 
ens!" 

Tom  sat  down  to  study,  but  he  could  not  fix 
his  mind  on  his  lessons.  Then  he  heard  some- 
body come  along  the  hallway  and  turn  into  the 
next  room. 

"Must  be  Songbird,  or  else  one  of  the  serv- 
ants," he  thought.  "Guess  I'll  take  a  look."  If 
it  was  Songbird,  he  could  chat  with  his  friend 
for  a  while. 

He  went  to  the  next  room.  As  he  opened 
the  door  he  saw  Songbird,  with  his  back  toward 
him.  The  so-styled  poet  was  waving  his  arms 
in  the  air  and  declaiming: 

"The  weeping  winds  were  whispering  through  the  wood, 
The  rolling  rill  ran  'round  the  ragged  rock; 

The  shepherd,  with  his  sunny,  smiling  face, 
Was  far  away  to  feed  his  flitting  flock. 

Deep  in  the  dingle,  dank  and  dark " 

"I  thought  I  heard  an  old  crow  bark!* 


T02  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

finished  Tom.  "Say,  Songbird,  how  much  is  that 
poetry  by  the  yard — or  do  you  sell  it  by  the 
ton?"  he  went  on. 

At  the  sound  of  Tom's  voice  the  would-be 
poet  gave  a  start.     But  he  quickly  recovered.  • 
He  scowled  for  a  moment  and  then  took  on  a 
look  of  resignation. 

"You'v«  spoiled  one  of  the  best  thoughts  I 
ever  had,"  he  said. 

"Don't  you  believe  it,  Songbird,"  answered 
Tom.  "I've  heard  you  make  up  poetry  worth 
ten  times  that.  Don't  you  remember  that  lit- 
the  sonnet  you  once  composed,  entitled  'Who 
Put  Ink  in  Willie's  Shoes?'  It  was  great,  grand, 
sublime!" 

"I  never  wrote  such  a  sonnet!"  cried  Song- 
bird. "Ink  in  shoes,  indeed!  Tom,  you  don't 
know  real  poetry  when  you  see  it !" 

"That's  a  fact,  I  don't.  But,  say,  what's  on 
the  carpet,  as  the  iceman  said  to  the  thrush?" 

"Nothing.  I  thought  I'd  write  a  few  verses, 
that's  all.  Thought  you  were  going  to  town 
with  Sam  and  Dick?" 

"Can't."  And  once  again  Tom  had  to  tell 
hisjstory.  He  had  not  yet  finished  when  Song- 
bird gave  an  exclamation. 

"It  fits  in!"  he  cried. 

"Fits  in?    What?"  asked  Tom. 


SONGBIRD  MAKES  A  DISCOVERY         103 

"What  I  heard  a  while  ago." 

"What  did  you  hear?" 

"Heard  Flockley,  Koswell  and  Larkspur  talk- 
ing together.  Koswell  said  he  had  fixed  you, 
and  that  you  were  having  a  bad  half  hour  with 
the  president." 

"Where  was  this?" 

"In  the  library.  I  was  in  an  alcove,  and 
they  didn't  see  me.  I  was  busy  reading  some 
poetry  by  Longfellow — fine  thing — went  like 
this " 

"Never  mind.  Chop  out  the  poetry  now, 
Songbird.  What  more  did  they  say  ?" 

"Nothing.  They  walked  away,  and  I — er — I 
got  so  interested  in  making  up  verses  I  forgot 
all  about  it  until  now." 

"I  wish  you  had  heard  more.  Do  you  know 
where  they  went  to?" 

"No,  but  I  can  look  around  if  you  want  me 
to." 

"I  wish  very  much  that  you  would.  I  can't 
leave,  or  I'd  go  myself." 

A  few  more  words  followed,  and  then  Song- 
bird went  off  to  hunt  up  the  Flockley  crowd. 
On  the  campus  he  met  Max  Spangler. 

"Yes,  I  saw  them,"  said  the  German-Ameri- 
can student  in  answer  to  a  question.  "They 


104  THE  R0 VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

are  down  along  the  river,  just  above  the  boat- 
house." 

"Thank  you." 

"I'll  show  you  if  you  want  me  to,"  went  on 
Max. 

"You  might  come  along,  if  you  have  nothing 
else  to  do,"  answered  Songbird. 

The  two  walked  toward  the  river,  and  after 
a  few  minutes  espied  Flockley  and  the  others 
sitting  on  some  rocks,  in  the  sun,  talking  earn- 
estly. 

"I  want  to  hear  what  they  are  saying,"  said 
Songbird.  "I  have  a  special  reason."  And  at 
Max's  look  of  surprise  he  told  something  of 
what  had  happened. 

"If  Koswell  is  that  mean  he  ought  to  be  ex- 
posed," said  Max.  "I  don't  blame  him  for  play- 
ing a  trick  on  old  Sharp,  but  to  lay  the  blame 
on  Tom — why,  that's  different." 

"Will  you  come  along?" 

"If  you  want  me  to." 

"I  don't  want  to  drag  you  into  trouble,  Max." 

"I  dink  I  can  take  care  of  myself,"  answered 
the  German-American  student. 

The  pair  passed  around  to  the  rear  of  the  spot 
where  Flockley  and  his  cronies  were  located. 
Here  was  a  heavy  clump  of  brushwood,  so  they 
were  able  to  draw  quite  close  without  being  seen. 


SONGBIRD  MAKES  A  DISCOVERY         105 

The  talk  was  of  a  general  character  for  a 
while,  embracing  football  and  other  college 
sports,  and  Songbird  was  disappointed.  But 
presently  Jerry  Koswell  began  to  chuckle. 

"I  can't  help  but  think  of  the  way  I  put  it 
over  Tom  Rover,"  he  exclaimed.  "I'll  wager 
old  Sharp  will  make  him  suffer  good  and  prop- 
er." 

"Maybe  they'll  suspend  Rover,"  said  Bart 
Larkspur.  "But  that  would  be  carrying  it  pret- 
ty far,  wouldn't  it?" 

"They  won't  suspend  him,  but  he'll  surely  be 
punished,"  came  from  Dudd  Flockley.  "By  the 
way,  are  you  sure  it  was  a  photo  of  Sharp's 
best  girl?" 

"Yes;  but  she  isn't  a  girl,  she's  a  woman,  and 
not  particularly  good-looking  at  that,"  an- 
swered Jerry  Koswell. 

"Well,  Sharp  isn't  so  very  handsome,"  an- 
swered Larkspur.  "His  nose  is  as  sharp  as  his 
name." 

"I  suppose  Rover  will  wonder  how  somebody 
got  hold  of  that  case  of  pencils  and  crayons," 
remarked  Flockley.  "If  he " 

"Hello,  Max!"  cried  a  voice  from  behind  the 
bushes,  and  the  next  moment  a  stout  youth 
landed  on  Max  Spangler's  back,  carrying  him 


106  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

down  with  a  crash  in  the  brushwood.  "What 
are  you  doing  here,  anyway?" 

At  the  interruption  the  whole  Flockley  crowd 
started  to  their  feet,  and  turning,  beheld  not 
only  Max  and  the  boy  who  had  come  up  so 
suddenly,  but  also  Songbird.  The  latter  was 
nearest  to  them,  and  Koswell  eyed  him  with 
sudden  suspicion. 

"What  are  you  doing  here?"  he  demanded, 
while  Max  and  his  friend  were  wrestling  in  a 
good-natured  way  in  the  bushes. 

"Oh,  I've  been  listening  to  some  interesting 
information,"  answered  Songbird. 

"Playing  the  eavesdropper,  eh?"  came  from 
Flockley  with  a  sneer. 

"If  so,  it  was  for  a  good  purpose,"  answered 
the  would-be  poet  warmly. 

"Say,  Jerry,  you  want  to  look  out  for  him!" 
cried  Larkspur  warningly.  "He  rooms  with 
Dick  Rover,  remember.  They  are  old  chums." 

"I  know  that,"  said  Koswell.  He  faced  Song- 
bird again.  "How  long  have  you  been  here?" 
he  cried  angrily. 

"That  is  my  business,  Koswell.  But  I  heard 
enough  of  your  talk  to  know  how  you  tried  to 
put  Tom  Rover  in  a  hole.  It's  a  mean  piece  of 
business,  and  it  has  got  to  be  stopped." 

"Bah!" 


SONGBIRD  MAKES  A  DISCOVERY         107 

"You  can  'bah!'  all  you  please,  but  I  mean 
what  I  say.  To  play  a  joke  is  one  thing,  to 
blame  it  on  a  fellow  student  who  is  innocent  is 
another.  As  the  poet  Shelley  says —  But  what's 
the  use  of  wasting  poetry  on  a  chap  like  you? 
Max,  you  heard  what  was  said,  didn't  you?" 

By  this  time  the  German-American  student 
was  free  of  his  tormentor,  a  happy-go-lucky  stu- 
dent named  Henry  Cale.  He  nodded  to  Song- 
bird. 

"Yes,  I  heard  it,"  he  said,  and  gave  Koswell 
a  meaning  look. 

"Fine  business  to  be  in,  listening  around  cor- 
ners," sneered  Larkspur. 

"Say  that  once  more  and  I'll  punch  your 
head!"  cried  Max,  doubling  up  his  fists. 

"What  are  you  fellows  going  to  do?"  ques- 
tioned Koswell.  He  was  beginning  to  grow 
alarmed. 

"That  depends  on  what  you  fellows  do,"  re- 
turned Songbird. 

"Why — er — do  you  think  I  am  going  to  the 
doctor  and — er — confess?" 

"You  have  got  to  clear  Tom  Rover." 

"Our  word  is  as  good  as  yours,"  said  Lark- 
spur. 

"Then  you  are  willing  to  tell  a  string  of  false- 
hoods, eh?"  said  Songbird  coldly. 


108  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"I  didn't  say  so." 

"But  you  meant  it.  Well,  Larkspur,  it  won't 
do.  I  know  about  this,  and  so  does  Max.  Kos- 
well  has  got  to  clear  Tom  Rover,  and  that  is 
all  there  is  to  it." 

"Will  you  keep  quiet  about  me  if  I  clear 
Rover?"  asked  Jerry  Koswell  eagerly. 

"That  depends  on  what  Tom  Rover  says.  I 
am  going  right  to  him  now  and  tell  him  what 
I  heard." 

"And  I'll  go  along,"  said  Max.  He  turned 
to  Henry  Cale.  "You  will  have  to  excuse  me, 
Henry.  This  is  a  private  affair  of  importance." 

"Sure,"  was  the  ready  answer.  "I  wouldn't 
have  butted  in  if  I  had  known  something  was 
doing,"  and  Henry  walked  off  toward  the  col- 
lege buildings. 

"Just  tell  Tom  Rover  to  wait — we'll  fix  it  up 
somehow,"  cried  Jerry  to  Songbird  and  Max  as 
the  pair  departed.  "It's  all  a — er — a  mistake. 
I'm — er — sorry  I  got  Rover  into  it — really  I 
am." 

"No  doubt  of  it,  now!"  answered  Songbird 
significantly.  "Evildoers  are  usually  sorry- 
after  they  are  caught!" 


CHAPTER  XI 

HOW   TOM   ESCAPED   PUNISHMENT 

DICK  and  Sam  were  good  walkers,  so  it  did* 
not  take  them  long  to  reach  Ashton.  While- 
covering  the  distance  they  talked  over  Tom's 
dilemma,  but  failed  to  reach  any  conclusion  con- 
cerning it. 

"It's  too  bad,"  said  Sam,  "especially  when  the 
term  has  just  opened.  It  will  give  Tom  a  black. 
eye." 

"I  don't  think  he'll  stand  for  too  much  pun- 
ishment, being  innocent,  Sam.  He'll  go  home- 
first." 

"I  was  thinking  of  that.  But  we  don't  want 
to  be  here  with  Tom  gone." 

Arriving  at  Ashton,  the  boys  hurried  to  the 
post-office.  The  mail  for  the  college  was  in, 
and  among  it  they  found  several  letters  from 
home  and  also  epistles  from  Dora  Stanhope  and 
the  Laning  girls. 

"Here's  one  for  Tom — that  will  cheer  him  up> 
109 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

a  bit,"  said  Dick,  holding  up  one  addressed  in 
Nellie  Laning's  well-known  hand. 

The  boys  sat  down  in  an  out-of-the-way  cor- 
ner to  read  their  letters.  Dick  had  a  commu- 
nication of  ten  pages  from  Dora,  and  Sam  had 
one  of  equal  length  from  Grace.  Then  there 
was  one  for  all  the  boys  from  their  father,  and 
another  from  their  Aunt  Martha. 

"The  girls  are  coming  next  Wednesday,"  said 
.Dick.  "I  hope  we  can  get  down  to  the  depot 
when  they  arrive." 

"Don't  forget  poor  Tom,  Dick." 

"Yes.     Isn't  it  too  bad?" 

"Nellie  will  cry  her  eyes  out  if  he  is  sent 
away." 

"Oh,  we've  got  to  fix  that  up  somehow." 

Having  read  the  letters  carefully,  the  boys 
went  to  one  of  the  stores  to  make  some  pur- 
chases, and  then  drifted  down  to  the  depot.  A 
train  was  coming  in,  but  they  did  not  expect  to 
see  anybody  they  knew.  As  a  well-dressed  young 
man,  carrying  a  suit  case,  alighted,  both  gave 
an  exclamation: 

"Dan  Baxter!" 

The  individual  they  mentioned  will  need  no 
introduction  to  my  old  readers.  During  their 
days  at  Putnam  Hall  the  Rover  boys  had  had 
"in  Dan  Baxter  and  his  father  enemies  who  had 


HOW  TOM  ESCAPED  PUNISHMENT       nr 

done  their  best  to  ruin  them.  The  elder  Baxter 
had  repented  after  Dick  had  done  him  a  great 
service,  but  Dan  had  kept  up  his  animosity  until 
the  Rovers  imagined  he  would  be  their  enemy 
for  life.  But  at  last  Dan,  driven  to  desperation 
by  the  actions  of  those  with  whom  he  was  asso- 
ciating, had  also  repented,  and  it  was  the  Rov- 
ers who  had  set  him  on  his  feet  again.  They 
had  loaned  him  money,  and  he  had  gotten  a 
position  as  a  traveling  salesman  for  a  large 
wholesale  house.  How  he  was  faring  they  did 
not  know,  since  they  had  not  seen  or  heard  of 
him  for  a  long  time. 

"Hello!  You  here?"  cried  Dan  Baxter,  and 
dropped  his  suit  case  on  the  depot  platform. 
"Thought  you  were  at  the  college." 

"Came  down  for  an  airing,"  answered  Dick. 
He  held  out  his  hand.  "How  goes  it  with  you,. 
Dan?" 

"Fine!  Couldn't  be  better."  Baxter  shook 
hands  with  both  boys,  and  they  could  not  help- 
but  notice  how  clean-cut  and  happy  he  appeared, 
quite  in  contrast  to  the  careless,  sullen  Dan  of 
old. 

"Come  on  business?"  inquired  Sam. 

"Yes." 

"What  are  you  selling?"  asked  Dick. 

"I  am  in  the  jewelry  line  now,  representing 


•112  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

one  of  the  biggest  houses  in  the  United  States. 
I  was  going  through  to  Cleveland,  but  I  made 
up  my  mind  to  stop  off  here  and  see  you.  I 
heard  from  one  of  the  old  boys  that  you  were 
here." 

"I  am  sure  I  am  glad  to  see  you,  Dan,"  said 
Dick,  "and  glad  to  know  you  are  doing  well." 

"Maybe  you'll  be  a  member  of  the  firm  some 
'•day,"  added  Sam  with  a  smile. 

"I  don't  know  about  that.  I'm  willing  to 
work,  and  the  traveling  suits  me  first-rate.  They 
pay  me  a  good  salary,  too — thirty  dollars  per 
week  and  all  expenses." 

"Good  enough!"  cried  Dick. 

"I  came  to  see  you  fellows,"  went  on  Dan 
Baxter  in  a  lower  voice.  "I  haven't  forgotten 
what  you  did  for  me  when  I  was  on  my  uppers. 
It  was  splendid  of  you.  I  realize  it  more  every 
day  I  live.  My  father  is  with  me  now — that  is, 
when  I'm  home.  We  are  happier  than  we  ever 
were  before." 

"That's  good,"  murmured  Sam. 

"I  want  to  see  you  all.    Where  is  Tom?" 

"Up  to  the  college."  Sam  did  not  deem  it 
necessary  to  go  into  particulars. 

"I'd  like  to  see  him,  too.  I've  got  something 
each  of  you." 

"What  is  that?" 


HOW  TOM  ESCAPED  PUNISHMENT       113, 

"Before  I  tell  you  I  want  you  to  promise 
you'll  accept  it.  And  by  the  way,  you  got  that 
money  back,  didn't  you?" 

"Yes." 

"Well,  will  you  accept  what  I  want  to  give 
you?  I  want  to  show  you  I  appreciate  your 
kindness." 

"We  didn't  expect  anything,  Dan,"  said  Dick. 

"Oh,  I  know  that,  Dick,  but  please  say  you'll 
take  what  I  have  for  you.  It  isn't  so  very  much, 
but  it's  something." 

"All  right,  if  you  want  it  that  way,"  answered 
the  oldest  Rover,  seeing  that  his  former  enemy 
was  very  much  in  earnest. 

Dan  Baxter  put  his  hand  in  an  inner  pocket 
and  brought  forth  three  small  packages. 

"This  is  for  you,  Dick,  and  this  for  you,  Sam/* 
he  said.  "The  other  is  for  Tom.  They  are  all 
alike." 

The  two  Rovers  undid  the  packages  handed 
to  them.  Inside  were  small  jewelry  cases,  and 
each  contained  a  beautiful  stickpin  of  gold,  hold- 
ing a  ruby  with  three  small  diamonds  around  it. 

"Say,  this  is  fine!"  murmured  Sam. 

"Dan,  we  didn't  expect  this,"  said  Dick. 

"But  you  said  you'd  accept,"  pleaded  Baxter. 
"They  are  all  alike,  as  I  said  before.  I  had  the 
firm  make  them  to  order,  so  there  is  nothing: 


114  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

else  like  them  on  the  market.  The  three  dia- 
monds represent  you  three  brothers,  and  the 
ruby — well,  when  you  look  at  that  you  can  think 
of  me,  if  you  want  to.  And  another  thing," 
went  on  Baxter,  his  face  flushing  a  trifle,  "the 
pins  are  settled  for.  They  didn't  come  out  of  my 

stock.  I  mention  this  because — because " 

The  young  traveling  salesman  stopped  in  some 
confusion. 

"Dan,  we  know  you  are  not  that  kind,'*  said 
Dick  hastily. 

"Well,  I  was,  but  I'm  not  that  kind  any  longer 
— everything  I  do  is  as  straight  as  a  string.  I 
paid  for  those  stickpins  out  of  my  wages.  I 
hope  you  will  all  wear  them." 

"I  certainly  shall,"  said  Dick.  "I  shall  prize 
this  gift  very  highly." 

"And  so  shall  I,"  added  Sam. 

Dan  Baxter  had  heard  something  about  their 
search  for  the  fortune  on  Treasure  Isle,  and  as 
they  walked  over  to  the  hotel  for  lunch  the 
Rovers  gave  him  some  of  the  details.  In  re- 
turn he  told  them  of  some  of  his  experiences  oir 
the  road  while  representing  a  carpet  house  and 
another  concern,  as  well  as  the  jewelry  manu* 
facturers.  He  told  them  of  several  of  the  for* 
tner  pupils  of  Putnam  Hall,  including  Fenwicl^ 


HOW  TOM  ESCAPED  PUNISHMENT       535 

better  known  as  Mumps,  who  he  said  was  novr 
working  in  a  Chicago  hotel. 

"You  boys  can  rest  assured  of  one  thing,"' 
said  Dan  Baxter  during  the  course  of  the  con- 
versation, "if  I  can  ever  do  you  a  good  turn  I'll 
do  it,  no  matter  what  it  costs  me." 

"That  is  very  kind  to  say,  Dan,"  answered 
Dick.  "And  let  me  say,  if  we  can  do  anything 
more  for  you  we'll  do  it." 

The  three  youths  spent  several  hours  together 
and  then  Sam  and  Dick  said  they  would  have 
to  get  back  to  college.  Secretly  they  were  wor- 
ried about  Tom. 

"Well,  please  give  the  pin  to  Tom,"  said  Bax- 
ter, "and  if  you  feel  like  it,  write  me  a  letter 
some  day,"  and  he  told  them  of  the  cities  he  ex- 
pected to  visit  during  his  next  selling  tour. 
Then  the  Rovers  and  their  one-time  enemy  sepa* 
rated. 

"Not  at  all  like  the  old  Dan  Baxter,"  waa 
Sam's  comment. 

"He  is  going  to  make  a  fine  business  man, 
after  all,"  returned  Dick.  "Well,  I  am  glad  oi 
it,  and  glad,  too,  that  he  and  his  father  are  recon- 
ciled to  each  other." 

Sam  and  Dick  had  covered  about  half  the  dis- 
tance back  to  Brill  when  they  saw  a  figure  strid- 
ing along  the  country  road  at  a  rapid  gait. 


Il6  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"Why,  say,  that  looks  like  Tom!"  cried  Sam. 

"It  is  Tom,"  returned  his  big  brother. 

"Do  you  suppose  he  has  run  away?" 

"I  don't  know.  Perhaps  the  doctor  has  sus« 
pended  him." 

"Hello!"  called  Tom  as  he  came  closer. 
"Thought  I'd  find  you  in  town  yet.  Come  on 
back  and  have  some  fun." 

"What  does  this  mean,  Tom?"  demanded 
Dick,  coming  to  a  halt  in  front  of  his  brother. 
He  saw  at  a  glance  that  Tom  looked  rather 
happy. 

"What  does  what  mean,  my  dear  Richard?" 
asked  the  fun-loving  Rover  in  a  sweet,  girlish 
voice. 

"You  know  well  enough.  Did  you  run  away?" 

"No.    Walked  away." 

"Without  permission?"  asked  Sam. 

"My  dear  Samuel,  you  shock  me!"  cried  Tom 
in  that  same  girlish  voice. 

"See  here,  let  us  in  on  the  ground  floor  of  the 
Sphinx,"  cried  Dick  impatiently. 

"I  will,  kind  sirs,"  answered  Tom,  this  time 
in  a  deep  bass  voice.  "I  went  to  the  room  and 
remained  there  about  an  hour.  Songbird  went 
out  on  a  still  hunt,  Max  with  him.  The  two 
overheard  Jerry  Koswell  and  his  cronies  talking, 


HOW  TOM  ESCAPED  PUNISHMENT      117 

learned  Jerry  did  the  trick,  came  back  and  told 
me,  and " 

"You  told  the  president,"  finished  Sam. 

"Not  on  your  collar  button,"  answered  Tom. 
"I  waited.  The  president  sent  for  me.  I  went. 
He  tried  to  get  me  to  confess,  and  then  the  tele- 
phone rang,  and  that  did  the  biz." 

"Say,  Tom,  are  you  crazy?"  demanded  Dick. 

"Crazy?  Yes,  I'm  crazy  with  joy.  Who 
wouldn't  be  to  get  free  so  easily?" 

"But  explain  it,"  begged  Sam. 

"I  can't  explain  it.  As  I  said,  the  president 
tried  to  make  me  confess,  and  of  course  I  had 
nothing  to  confess.  When  the  telephone  rang 
I  heard  one  voice  and  then  two  others,  one  after 
another.  I  think  they  belonged  to  Koswell, 
Flockley  and  Larkspur,  but  I  am  not  sure.  The 
voices  talked  to  Doctor  Wallington  about  ten 
minutes.  He  got  mad  at  first  and  then  calmed 
down.  I  heard  him  ask,  'In  Professor  Sharp's 
room?'  and  somebody  said  'Yes.'  Four  times  he 
asked  for  names,  but  I  don't  think  he  got  them. 
Then  he  went  out  of  the  office  and  was  gone 
about  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  When  he  returned 
he  said,  'Now,  on  your  honor,  for  the  last  time, 
Rover,  did  you  mar  that  photograph?'  and  I  said 
'No,'  good  and  hard.  Then  he  said  he  believed 
me,  and  was  sorry  he  had  suspected  me,  and 


1 18  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

he  added  that  I  could  go  off  for  the  rest  of  the 
day  and  enjoy  myself,  and  here  I  am." 

"And  you  didn't  squeal  on  Koswell  &  Com- 
pany?" asked  Sam. 

"Nary  a  squeal." 

"Do  you  imagine  they  confessed?" 

"I  think  they  told  the  president  over  the 
'phone  that  I  was  innocent,  maybe  the  three 
swore  to  it,  but  I  don't  think  they  gave  their 
names." 

"What  did  they  mean  about  Sharp's  room?" 

"I  was  curious  about  that,  and  I  found  out 
from  one  of  the  servants.  Sharp  found  an  en- 
velope under  the  door.  It  contained  a  five-dol- 
lar bill,  and  on  it  was  written  in  a  scrawl,  'For  a 
new  photograph.' ' 

"Koswell  &  Company  got  scared  mightily," 
mused  Dick.  "Well,  I  am  glad,  Tom,  that  you 
are  out  of  it." 

"And  as  a  token  of  your  escape  we'll  present 
you  with  this,"  added  Sam,  and  brought  forth 
the  package  from  Dan  Baxter.  Tom  was  much 
surprised,  and  listened  to  the  story  about  the 
former  bully  of  Putnam  Hall  with  interest. 

"Good  for  Dan!"  he  cried.  "I'll  write  him  a 
letter  the  first  chance  I  get." 

"And  here's  a  letter  from  Nellie,"  said  Dick, 


HOW  TOM  ESCAPED  PUN-ISHMENT      119 

"and  one  from  father,  and  another  from  Aunt 
Martha." 

"Hurrah!  That's  the  best  yet!"  exclaimed 
Tom.  "I've  got  to  read  'em  all.  Sit  down  and 
"rest."  And  he  dropped  down  on  a  grassy  bank 
and  his  brothers  followed  suit. 


CHAPTER  XII 

IN  WHICH  THE  GIRLS  ARRIVE 

"You  may  be  sure  of  one  thing,  Torn,"  re- 
marked Dick  while  he  and  his  brothers  were 
walking  back  to  Brill,  some  time  later,  "Jerry 
Koswell  has  it  in  for  you.  You  had  better  watch 
him  closely." 

"I  intend  to  do  so,"  answered  Tom.  "But 
there  is  another  thing  which  both  of  you  seem 
to  have  forgotten.  That's  about  the  dress-suit 
case.  Did  Koswell  find  it,  and  if  so,  did  he  take 
anything  else  besides  the  box  of  pencils  and 
crayons?" 

"He'll  never  admit  it,"  put  in  Sam.  "Not  un- 
less you  corner  him,  as  Songbird  did  about  the 
photo." 

"He'll  have  to  tell  where  he  got  the  box, 
Sam." 

"I  doubt  if  you  get  any  satisfaction." 
,     And  Sam  was  right,  as  later  events  prove'd. 
When  Tom  tackled  Koswell  the  latter  said  posi- 

120 


IN  WHICH  THE  GIRLS  ARRIVE  121 

tively  that  he  knew  nothing  of  the  dress-suit 
case.  He  said  he  had  found  the  box  on  a  stand 
in  the  hallway  near  Professor  Sharp's  door,  and 
hadmsed  it  because  it  suited  his  purpose. 

"But  you  saw  it  had  my  name  on  it,"  said 
Tom. 

"No,  I  didn't.  It  was  rather  dark  in  the  hall, 
and  all  I  saw  was  that  it  contained  pencils  and 
crayons,"  answered  Jerry  Koswell. 

"Well,  I  don't  believe  you,"  answered  Tom  ab- 
ruptly. "You  did  it  on  purpose,  and  maybe 
some  day  I'll  be  able  to  prove  it."  And  he 
walked  off,  leaving  Koswell  in  anything  but  a 
comfortable  frame  of  mind. 

Tom  was  curious  to  see  how  Professor  Sharp 
would  act  after  the  affair.  During  the  first  reci- 
tation the  instructor  seemed  ill  at  ease,  but  after 
that  he  acted  as  usual.  Tom  half  suspected  the 
professor  still  thought  him  guilty. 

"Well,  it  was  a  pretty  mean  thing  to  do,"  so- 
liloquized the  fun-loving  Rover.  "If  anybody 
•  did  that  to  a  picture  of  Nellie  I'd  mash  him  into 
a  jelly." 

All  of  the  Rovers  were  awaiting  the  arrival  of 
the  girls  with  interest,  and  each  was  fearful  that 
some  poor  recitation  might  keep  him  from  go- 
ing to  meet  them  at  the  Ashton  depot  on 
Wednesday.  But,  luckily,  all  got  permission  to 


l±2  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

go  to  town,  and  they  started  without  delay  as 
soon  as  the  afternoon  session  was  ended. 

"Where  bound?"  asked  Songbird,  in  some  sur- 
prise, as  he  saw  them  driving  off  in  a  carriage 
Dick  had  ordered  by  telephone. 

"Going  to  meet  Dora  and  Nellie  and  Grace," 
answered  Dick.  "Do  you — er — want  to  come 
along?" 

"Oh,  sure.  I'll  see  them  all  home  myself,"  an- 
swered the  would-be  poet  with  a  wirrk  of  his 
eye.  "No,  thank  you.  I  know  enough  to  keep 
out  of  somebody  else's  honey  pot.  Give  them 
my  regards,"  he  added,  and  strolled  off,  murmur- 
ing softly: 

"If  thou  love  me  as  I  love  thee, 
How  happy  thee  and  I  will  be!" 

The  boys  got  down  to  the  depot  ahead  of 
time,  and  were  then  told  that  the  train  was  fif- 
teen minutes  late.  They  put  in  the  time  as  best 
they  could,  although  every  minute  seemed  five. 

"Hello!  There  is  Dudd  Flockley!"  exclaimed 
Sam  presently,  and  pointed  to  the  dudish  stu- 
dent, who  was  crossing  the  street  behind  the 
depot. 

"Maybe  he  came  down  to  meet  somebody, 
too,"  said  Tom.  "More  than  likely  there  will 


IN  WHICH  THE  GIRLS  ARRIVE 


123 


be  quite  a  bunch  of  girls  bound  for  the  semi- 
nary." 

At  last  the  train  rolled  in,  and  the  three  Rov- 
ers strained  their  eyes  to  catch  the  first  sight 
of  their  friends. 

"There  they  are!"  shouted  Dick,  and  pointed 
to  a  parlor  car.  He  ran  forward,  and  so  did  his 
brothers.  The  porter  was  out  with  his  box,  but 
it  was  the  boys  who  assisted  the  girls  to  alight, 
and  Dick  who  tipped  the  knight  of  the  whisk- 
broom. 

"Here  at  last!"  cried  Dick.  "We  are  so  glad 
you've  come!" 

"Thought  the  train  would  never  get  here," 
added  Sam. 

"Longest  wait  I've  had  since  I  was  able  to 
walk,"  supplemented  Tom. 

"Oh,  Tom,  you  big  tease!"  answered  Nellie 
merrily,  and  caught  him  by  both  hands. 

"Yes,  we  are  late,"  said  Dora  a  bit  soberly. 
She  gave  Dick's  hand  a  tight  squeeze.  They 
looked  at  each  other,  and  on  the  instant  he  saw 
that  she  had  something  to  tell  him. 

"How  long  it  seems  since  we  saw  you  last," 
said  Grace  as  she  took  Sam's  hand.  Then  there 
was  handshaking  all  around,  and  all  the  girls  and 
boys  tried  to  speak  at  once,  to  learn  how  the 


124  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

others  had  been  since  they  had  separated  after 
the  treasure  hunt. 

"We'll  have  to  look  after  our  trunks,"  said 
Dora.  "There  they  are,"  and  she  pointed  to 
where  they  had  been  dumped  on  a  truck. 

"I'll  take  care  of  the  baggage,"  said  Tom. 
"Just  give  me  the  checks." 

"And  we've  got  to  find  a  carriage  to  take  us 
to  Hope,"  added  Grace. 

"All  arranged,"  answered  Sam.  "We  are  go- 
ing to  take  you  up.  Dick  is  going  to  take  Dora 
in  a  buggy,  and  Tom  and  I  are  going  to  take 
you  and  Nellie  in  a  two-seated.  The  baggage 
can  go  in  a  wagon  behind." 

"But  I  thought  there  was  a  seminary  stage," 
began  Grace. 

"There  is,  and  if  you'd  rather  take  it " 

"Oh,  no!  The  carriage  ride  will  be  much 
nicer."  And  Grace  looked  at  Sam  in  a  manner 
that  made  his  heart  beat  much  faster  than  be- 
fore. 

"Do  you  know,  it  seems  awfully  queer  to  be 
rich  and  to  be  going  to  a  fine  boarding  school," 
said  Nellie.  "I  declare,  I'm  not  used  to  it  yet. 
But  I'm  glad  on  papa  and  mamma's  account,  for 
neither  of  them  have  to  work  as  hard  as  they 
did." 

"Papa  is  going  to  improve  the  farm  wonder- 


IN  WHICH  THE  GIRLS  ARRIVE  125 

fully,"  said  Grace.  "He  is  going  to  put  up  a 
new  barn  and  a  carriage  house  and  a  new  wind- 
mill for  pumping  water,  and  he  has  bought  a 
hundred  acres  from  the  farm  in  the  back,  and 
added,  oh,  I  don't  know  how  many  more  cows. 
And  we've  got  a  splendid  team  of  horses,  and 
the  cutest  pony  you  ever  saw.  And  next  year 
he  is  going  to  rebuild  the  wing  of  the  house  and 
put  on  a  big  piazza.,  where  we  can  have  rocking- 
chairs  and  a  hammock " 

"Yum!  yum!"  murmured  Sam.  "The  ham- 
mock for  mine,  when  I  call." 

"Built  for  two,  I  suppose,"  remarked  Dick 
dryly. 

"Dick  Rover!"  cried  Grace,  and  blushed. 

"He'll  want  it  for  himself  and  Dor "  be- 
gan Sam. 

"Here  comes  Tom,"  interrupted  Dick  hastily. 
"All  right  about  the  baggage?"  he  asked  loudly. 

"All  right.  The  trunks  and  cases  will  go  to 
the  seminary  inside  of  an  hour,"  answered  Tom, 
"so  we  might  as  well  be  off  ourselves.  We  can 
drive  slowly,  you  know." 

"Well,  you  can  go  ahead  and  set  the  pace," 
answered  his  elder  brother. 

The  buggy  and  the  carriage  were  already  on 
hand,  and  soon  the  boys  and  girls  were  in  the 
turnouts,  and  Tom  drove  off,  with  Dick  follow- 


126  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

ing.  As  they  did  so  they  saw  Dudd  Flockley 
standing  near,  eyeing  them  curiously.  They  had 
to  drive  close  to  the  dudish  student,  who  was 
attired  in  his  best,  and  he  stared  boldly  at  Dora 
and  the  Laning  girls. 

"What  a  bold  young  man!"  was  Dora's  com- 
ment after  they  had  passed. 

"He's  a  student  at  Brill,"  answered  Dick. 
"Not  a  very  nice  kind,  either."  Dick  was  much 
put  out,  for  he  did  not  like  any  young  man  to 
stare  at  Dora. 

Ashton  was  soon  left  behind,  and  carriage  and 
buggy  bowled  along  slowly  over  a  country  road 
lined  on  either  side  with  trees  and  bushes  and 
tidy  farms.  Under  the  trees  Dick  allowed  his 
horse  to  drop  into  a  walk,  and  managed  to  drive 
with  one  hand  while  the  other  found  Dora's 
waist  and  held  it. 

"Dick,  somebody  might  see  you!"  she  half 
whispered. 

"Well,  I  can't  help  it,  Dora,"  he  answered. 
"It's  been  such  a  long  time  since  we  met." 

"Yes,  it  seems  like  years  and  years,  doesn't 
it?" 

"And  to  think  we've  got  to  go  through  col- 
lege before — before  we  can " 

"Yes,  but  Dick,  isn't  it  splendid  that  we  are 


IN  WHICH  THE  GIRLS  ARRIVE  127 

going  to  be  so  close  to  each  other?  Why,  we'll 
be  able  to  meet  lots  of  times!" 

"If  the  seminary  authorities  will  let  you.  I 
understand  they  are  very  strict." 

"Oh,  well,  we'll  meet  anyhow,  won't  we?" 

"If  you  say  so,  dear." 

"Why,  yes,  dear — that  is Oh,  now  see 

what  you've  done! — knocked  my  hat  right  down 
on  my  ear!  Now,  you  mustn't — one  is  enough! 
Just  suppose  another  carriage  should  come  up — 
with  somebody  in  it  from  the  seminary?" 

"I've  got  my  eye  open,"  answered  Dick.  "But 
just  one  more — and  then  you  can  fix  your  hat. 
They've  got  to  make  some  allowance  for  folks 
that  are  engaged,"  he  added  softly,  as  he  pressed 
her  cheek  close  to  his  own. 

"Are  we  engaged,  Dick?"  she  asked  as  she 
adjusted  her  hat. 

"Aren't  we?"  he  demanded.  "Why,  of  course 
we  are!" 

"Well,  if  you  say  so,  but — but — I  suppose 
some  folks  would  think  we  were  rather  young." 

"Well,  I'm  not  so  young  as  I  used  to  be — and 
I'm  growing  older  every  day." 

"So  am  I.  I  am  not  near  as  young  as  I  was 
when  we  first  met — on  that  little  steamboat  on 
Cayuga  Lake,  when  you  and  Tom  and  Sam  were 
going  to  Putnam  Hall  for  the  first  time." 


128  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"No,  you're  not  quite  so  young,  Dora,  but 
you  are  just  as  pretty.  In  fact,  you're  prettier 
than  ever." 

"Oh,  you  just  say  that!" 

"I  mean  it,  and  I'm  the  happiest  fellow  in  the 
world  this  minute,"  cried  Dick,  and  caught  her 
again  in  his  arms.  Once  more  the  hat  went  over 
on  Dora's  ear,  but  this  time  she  forgot  to  men- 
tion it.  Truth  to  tell,  for  the  time  being  she 
was  just  as  happy  as  he  was. 

But  presently  her  face  grew  troubled,  and  he 
remembered  the  look  she  had  given  him  at  the 
depot. 

"Something  is  on  your  mind,  Dora,"  he  said. 
"What  is  it?" 

"Dick,  do  you  know  that  Tad  Sobber  is  alive? 
That  he  escaped  from  that  dreadful  hurricane  in 
West  Indian  waters?" 

"Yes,  I  know  it.  But  I  didn't  know  it  until 
a  few  days  ago,  when  Songbird  Powell  came  to 
Brill.  He  said  he  had  met  Sobber  in  Ithaca." 

"He  came  to  see  mamma." 

"I  was  afraid  he  would.    What  did  he  say?" 

"He  came  one  evening,  after  supper.  It  was 
dark  and  stormy,  and  he  drove  up  in  a  buggy. 
Mamma  and  I  and  the  servants  were  home 
alone,  although  Nellie  had  been  over  in  the  after- 
noon. He  rang  the  bell,  and  asked  for  mamma, 


IN  WHICH  THE  GIRLS  ARRIVE  129 

and  the  girl  ushered  him  into  the  parlor.  He 
asked  the  girl  if  we  had  company,  and  he  said 
if  we  had  he  wouldn't  bother  us." 

"Guess  he  was  afraid  of  being  arrested." 

"Perhaps  so.  He  told  the  girl  he  was  a  friend 
from  New  York.  I  went  down  first,  and  when 
I  saw  him  I  was  almost  scared  to  death.  I 
thought  I  was  looking  at  a  ghost." 

"Naturally,  since  you  thought  he  had  been 
drowned.  It's  too  bad  he  scared  you  so,  Dora." 

"He  said  he  had  come  on  business,  and  with- 
out waiting  began  to  talk  about  the  treasure  we 
had  taken  from  the  isle.  He  insisted  upon  it 
that  the  treasure  belonged  to  him,  since  his  un- 
cle, Sid  Merrick,  was  dead.  When  my  mother 
came  in  he  demanded  that  she  give  him  some 
money  and  sign  some  papers." 

"What  did  your  mother  do?" 

"She  refused,  of  course.  Then  he  got  very 
wild  and  talked  in  a  rambling  fashion.  Oh, 
Dick,  I  am  half  inclined  to  think  he  is  crazy!" 
And  Dora  shuddered. 

"What  did  he  say  after  your  mother  refused 
to  do  as  he  wished?" 

"He  got  up  and  walked  around  the  parlor, 
waving  his  hands  and  crying  that  we  were  rob- 
bing him,  that  the  treasure  was  his,  and  that  the 
Rovers  were  nothing  but  thieves.  Then  mamma 


1 30  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

ordered  him  out  of  the  house  and  sent  the  girl 
to  get  the  man  who  runs  the  farm  for  us.  But 
before  the  man  came  Sobber  went  away,  driving 
his  horse  as  fast  as  he  could." 

"Have  you  heard  from  him  since?" 
"Yes.    The  next  day  we  got  an  unsigned  let- 
ter.    In  it  Sobber  said  that,  by  hook  or  by 
crook,  he  intended  to  get  possession  of  the  treas- 
ure, and  for  the  Rovers  to  beware." 


"BUMPED  FAIRI.Y  AND  SQUAREI.Y  INTO  THE    CRAFT." 

Page  134. 

TAt  Rover  Boys  at  Collegt. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE  ROWING  RACE 

HAVING  told  so  much,  Dora  went  into  all  the 
particulars  of  Tad  Sobber's  visit  to  the  Stan- 
hope homestead.  She  told  of  how  Sobber  had 
argued,  and  she  said  he  had  affirmed  that  the 
Rovers  had  falsified  matters  so  that  the  Stan- 
hopes and  the  Lanings  might  benefit  thereby. 

"What  he  says  is  absolutely  untrue,"  said 
Dick.  "Father  went  over  those  papers  with 
care,  and  so  did  the  lawyers,  and  the  treasure 
belongs  to  you  and  the  Lanings,  and  to  nobody 
else." 

"Don't  you  think  Sid  Merrick  fooled  Sob- 
ber?" asked  the  girl. 

"Perhaps,  but  I  guess  Tad  was  willing  to  be 
fooled.  They  set  their  hearts  on  that  money, 
and  now  Tad  can't  give  it  up.  In  one  way  I  am 
sorry  for  him,  and  if  a  small  amount  of  cash 
would  satisfy  him  and  set  him  on  his  feet,  I'd 
hand  it  over.  We  put  Dan  Baxter  on  his  feet 
that  way." 


132  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"Oh,  but  Baxter  isn't  Sobber,  Dick.  Sobber 
is  wild  and  wicked.  I  was  so  afraid  he  would 
attack  mamma  and  me  I  hardly  knew  what  to 
do.  And  his  eyes  rolled  so  when  he  talked !" 

"Did  he  go  to  the  Lanings?" 

"No." 

"Probably  he  was  afraid  of  your  uncle.  Mr. 
Laning  won't  stand  for  any  nonsense.  I  sup- 
pose your  mother  is  afraid  he'll  come  back?" 

"Yes;  and  to  protect  herself  she  has  hired  one 
of  the  farm  men  to  sleep  in  the  house.  The 
man  was  once  in  the  army,  and  he  knows  how 
to  use  a  gun." 

"Then  that  will  make  Sobber  keep  his  dis- 
tance. He  is  a  coward  at  heart.  I  found  that 
out  when  we  went  to  Putnam  Hall  together." 

"But  you  must  beware  of  him,  Dick.  He  may 
show  himself  here  next." 

"It  won't  do  him  any  good.  All  I've  got  here 
is  a  little  spending  money.  No,  I  don't  think 
he'll  show  himself  here.  More  than  likely  he'll 
try  to  hire  some  shyster  lawyer  to  fight  for  the 
treasure  in  the  courts.  But  I  don't  think  he'll 
be  able  to  upset  your  claim." 

They  had  now  reached  Hope  Seminary,  and 
the  conversation  came  to  an  end.  The  boys 
helped  the  girls  to  alight,  and  said  good-by. 
Then  they  drove  back  to  Ashton,  where  the 


THE  ROWING  RACE  133 

buggy  was  left  at  the  livery  stable,  and  all  piled 
into  the  carriage  for  the  college.  On  the  way 
Dick  told  his  brothers  about  Tad  Sobber. 

"Dora  is  right.  He  is  a  bad  egg,"  said  Sam. 
"I  wouldn't  trust  him  under  any  consideration." 

"He  is  too  much  of  a  coward  to  attack  any- 
body openly,"  was  Tom's  comment.  "But  as 
Dick  says,  he  may  hire  some  shyster  lawyer 
to  take  the  matter  into  the  courts.  It  would 
be  too  bad  if  the  fortune  was  tied  up  in  endless 
litigation." 

"He's  got  to  'get  money  to  fight  with  first," 
said  Dick. 

"Oh,  some  lawyers  will  take  a  case  like  that 
on  a  venture." 

"That's  true." 

Several  days  passed  quietly,  and  the  Rover 
boys  applied  themselves  diligently  to  their  stud- 
ies, for  they  wished  to  make  fine  records  at 
Brill. 

"We  are  here  to  get  a  good  education,"  was 
the  way  Dick  expressed  himself,  "and  we  want 
to  make  the  most  of  our  time." 

"As  if  I  wasn't  boning  away  to  beat  the 
band!"  murmured  Tom  reproachfully. 

"I'd  like  to  take  the  full  course  in  about  two 
years,"  came  from  Sam. 

"College  studies  are  mighty  hard,"  broke  in 


134  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

Songbird,  who  was  working  over  his  chemistry. 
"I  don't  get  any  chance  to  write  poetry  any 
more." 

"For  which  let  us  all  be  truly  thankful,"  mur- 
mured Sam  to  Tom. 

"Ten  minutes  more,"  announced  Dick,  look- 
ing at  his  watch.  "Then  what  do  you  say  to  a 
row  on  the  river?" 

"Suits  me!"  cried  Tom. 

"All  right,  then.  Now  clear  out,  and — si- 
lence!" 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  later  the  Rover  boys 
and  Songbird  walked  down  to  the  river.  There 
were  plenty  of  boats  to  be  had,  and  Dick  and 
Tom  were  soon  out.  Songbird  and  Sam  received 
an  invitation  to  go  for  a  ride  in  a  gasolene 
launch  owned  by  Stanley. 

"Suits  me!"  cried  the  would-be  poet.  "I  can 
row  any  time,  but  I  can't  always  ride  in  a  motor 
boat." 

"Same  here,"  said  Sam. 

A  number  of  craft  were  on  the  river,  including 
one  containing  Jerry  Koswell  and  Bart  Lark- 
spur. Koswell  scowled  as  he  saw  Tom  and  Dick 
rowing  near  by. 

"We'll  give  'em  a  shaking  up,"  he  said  to  his 
crony,  and  turned  their  rowboat  so  that  it 
bumped  fairly  and  squarely  into  the  craft 


THE  ROWING  RACE  135 

manned  by  Tom  and  Dick.  The  shock  was  so 
great  that  Dick,  who  had  gotten  up  to  fix  his 
seat,  was  nearly  hurled  overboard. 

"See  here,  what  do  you  mean  by  running  into 
us?"  demanded  the  oldest  Rover  on  recovering 
his  balance. 

"Sorry,  but  it  couldn't  be  helped,"  answered 
Koswell.  "Why  didn't  you  get  out  of  the  way?" 

"We  didn't  have  to,"  retorted  Sam,  "and  if 
you  try  that  trick  again  somebody  will  get  his 
head  punched." 

"Talk  is  cheap,"  sneered  Larkspur. 

"Say,  I  heard  you  fellows  have  been  boasting 
of  how  you  can  row,"  went  on  Koswell  after 
a  pause. 

"We  haven't  been  boasting,  but  we  can  row," 
answered  Tom. 

"Want  to  race?" 

"When?" 

"Now." 

"I  don't  know  as  I  care  to  race  with  a  chap 
like  you,  Koswell,"  answered  Dick  pointedly. 

"You're  afraid." 

"No,  I  am  not  afraid." 

"Let  us  race  them,"  whispered  Tom  to  his 
brother.  "I  am  not  afraid  of  them." 

"Oh,  neither  am  I.  Tom." 


136  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"We'll  race  you  to  Rock  Island  and  back," 
said  Koswell,  after  consulting  Larkspur. 

"All  right,"  answered  Dick. 

"Want  to  bet  on  the  result?"  questioned  Kos- 
well. He  was  usually  willing  to  bet  on  any- 
thing. 

"We  don't  bet,"  answered  Tom. 

"And  we  wouldn't  with  you,  if  we  did,"  added 
Dick.  "I  don't  think  you  are  in  our  class,  Kos- 
well, and  you  never  will  be.  At  the  same  time, 
since  you  are  so  anxious  to  row  against  us,  we'll 
race  you — and  beat  you." 

This  answer  enraged  Jerry  Koswell,  and  he 
dared  the  Rovers  to  wager  ten  dollars  on  the 
race.  They  would  not,  but  others  took  up  the 
bet,  and  then  several  other  wagers  were  made. 

Rock  Island  was  a  small,  stony  spot  half  a 
mile  up  the  stream,  so  the  race  would  be  about 
a  mile  in  length.  Frank  Holden  was  chosen  as 
referee  and  umpire,  and  all  of  the  contestants 
prepared  for  the  struggle. 

"Your  boat  is  lighter  than  that  of  the  Rov- 
ers," said  Holden  to  Koswell  and  Larkspur. 
"You  really  ought  to  give  them  some  lead." 

"No.  This  is  an  even  start,"  growled  Kos- 
well. 

"Very  well,  but  it  doesn't  seem  quite  fair." 

It  was  soon  noised  around  that  the  race  was 


THE  ROWING  RACE  137 

to  take  place,  and  the  river  bank  speedily  be- 
came lined  with  students  anxious  to  see  how  the 
contest  would  terminate. 

"Now,  Tom,  take  it  easy  at  the  start,  but  fin- 
ish up  strong,"  cautioned  Dick. 

"I  feel  like  pulling  a  strong  stroke  from  the 
first,"  answered  Tom.  "Let  us  do  it,  and  leave 
them  completely  in  the  shade." 

"No.  We  must  first  try  to  find  out  what  they 
can  do." 

"Say,  you've  got  to  beat  'em,"  came  from 
Sam,  as  the  launch  came  close.  "If  they  win 
you'll  never  hear  the  end  of  it." 

"They're  not  going  to  win,"  answered  Dick, 
quietly  but  firmly. 

"All  ready  ?"  asked  Frank  Holden,  as  the  boats 
drew  up  side  by  side  near  the  boathouse  float. 
"We  are!"  sang  out  Tom. 
"Ready!"  answered  Jerry  Koswell. 
"Go!"  shouted  Frank. 

Four  pairs  of  oars  dropped  into  the  water  sim- 
ultaneously, and  away  shot  the  two  craft  side 
by  side.  There  was  no  disguising  the  fact  that 
Koswell  and  Larkspur  were  good  oarsmen,  and 
what  was  equally  important,  they  had  done 
much  practicing  together.  On  the  other  hand, 
while  Dick  and  Tom  could  row  well,  they  had 
pulled  together  but  twice  since  coming  to  Brill. 


138  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"You've  got  your  work  cut  out  for  you!" 
shouted  Songbird.  "But  never  mind.  Go  in 
and  win!" 

For  the  first  quarter  of  a  mile  the  two  row- 
boats  kept  close  together.  Occasionally  one 
would  forge  ahead  a  few  indies,  but  the  other 
would  speedily  overtake  it.  Then,  however,  the 
Rover  boys  settled  down  to  a  strong,  steady 
stroke,  and  forged  a  full  length  ahead. 

"See!  see!  The  Rovers  are  winning!"  shouted 
Max  in  delight. 

"That's  the  way  to  do  it!"  cried  Stanley. 
"Keep  it  up!  You're  doing  nobly !" 

"Show  'em  the  way  home!"  added  Songbird. 

"Pull,  Jerry!  Pull!,  Bart!"  screamed  Dudd 
Flockley  to  his  cronies.  "Don't  let  them  beat 
you!" 

Before  long  the  island  was  reached,  and  the 
Rovers  rounded  it  a  length  and  a  half  ahead. 
This  made  Jerry  Koswell  frantic,  and  he  called 
on  Larkspur  to  increase  the  stroke. 

"All  right,  I'm  with  you,"  was  the  short  an- 
swer. 

The  increase  in  the  stroke  speedily  told,  and 
inch  by  inch  the  second  boat  began  to  overhaul 
the  first.  Then  Tom  made  a  miss,  sending  a 
shower  of  water  into  the  air.  At  this  the  craft 
containing  Koswell  and  Larkspur  shot  ahead. 


THE  ROWING  RACE  139 

"Hurrah!  That's  the  way  to  do  it!"  yelled 
Flockley  in  delight.  "Even  money  on  the  green 
boat!" 

"Take  you,"  answered  Spud  Jackson  prompt- 
ly. "How  much?" 

"A  fiver." 

"All  right." 

"Steady,  Tom,"  cautioned  Dick.  "Now,  then. 
Ready?" 

"Yes." 

"Then  bend  to  it.    One,  two,  three,  four." 

Again  the  Rover  boys  went  at  the  rowing 
with  a  will,  increasing  their  stroke  until  it  was 
six  to  the  minute  more  than  that  of  Koswell 
and  Larkspur.  The  latter  were  frantic,  and  tried 
to  do  likewise,  but  found  it  impossible.  Inch  by 
inch  the  Rovers'  craft  went  ahead.  Now  it  was 
half  a  length,  then  a  length,  then  two  lengths. 

"Say,  there  is  rowing  for  you!"  was  the  com- 
ment of  a  senior.  "Just  look  at  them  bend  to 
it!" 

"Yes,  and  look  at  the  quick  recovery,"  added 
another  fourth-year  student. 

From  two  lengths  the  Rovers  went  three 
lengths  ahead.  Then  Koswell  missed  a  stroke, 
and  tumbled  up  against  Larkspur. 

"Hi!  What  are  you  doing?"  spluttered  Lark- 
spur in  disgust. 


-J40  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"Cou — couldn't  hel — help  it,"  panted  Jerry. 
He  was  all  but  winded,  for  the  pulling  had  been 
too  much  for  him. 

"The  Rovers  win!  The  Rovers  win!"  was  the 
shout  that  went  up,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  hub- 
bub Dick  and  Tom  crossed  the  line,  winning  by 
at  least  six  lengths.  Koswell  and  Larkspur  were 
•so  disgusted  that  they  did  not  even  finish,  but 
.stopped  rowing  and  turned  away  from  the  float. 

"The  Rovers  win,"  announced  Frank  Holden. 
''A  fine  race,  too,"  he  added.  "Let  me  congrat- 
ulate you,"  and  he  waved  his  hand  pleasantly  to 
Dick  and  Tom. 

"I  got  a  pain  in  my  side,  and  that  made  me 
miss  the  stroke,"  said  Jerry  Koswell  lamely. 
''Some  day  I'll  race  them  again,  and  win,  too." 

"You  should  have  won  this  time,"  growled 
Dudd  Flockley  when  he  was  alone  with  his  cro- 
nies. "I  dropped  twenty  dollars  on  that  race." 

"I  never  thought  they  could  row  like  that," 
.was  Larkspur's  comment.  "I  don't  think  I  want 
to  row  against  them  again." 

Dick  and  Tom  were  warmly  congratulated  by 
all  their  friends.  It  had  been  a  well-earned  vic- 
tory, and  they  were  correspondingly  happy. 
Koswell  was  sourer  than  ever  against  them,  and 
-vowed  he  would  "square  up"  somehow,  and 


THE  ROWING  RACE  I4I 

Larkspur  agreed  to  help  him.  Dudd  Flockley 
was  glum,  for  his  spending  money  for  the  month 
was  running  low,  and  it  was  going  to  be  hard 
to  pay  the  wagers  he  had  lost. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

WILLIAM  PHILANDER  TUBES 

ON  the  following  Saturday  the  Rover  boys 
went  down  to  Ashton  in  the  afternoon.  They 
had  arranged  for  the  hire  of  a  large  touring  car, 
with  a  competent  chauffeur,  and  were  to  take 
Dora  and  the  Laning  girls  out  for  a  ride  to  an- 
other town  called  Toddville.  Here  they  were 
to  have  supper  at  the  hotel,  returning  to  Ashton 
in  the  evening. 

Lest  it  be  thought  strange  that  the  girls  could 
get  permission  from  the  seminary  authorities  to 
absent  themselves,  let  me  state  that  matters  had 
been  explained  by  Mrs.  Stanhope  and  Mrs.  Lan- 
ing to  the  principal  of  Hope,  so  Dora  and  her 
cousins  were  free  to  go  out  with  the  Rovers 
whenever  they  could  go  out  at  all. 

"We'll  have  the  best  time  ever!"  cried  Tom 
enthusiastically.  "I  hope  you  ordered  a  fine 
supper  over  the  telephone,  Dick." 

"I  did,"  was  the  reply.  "Just  the  things  I 
know  the  girls  like." 

14* 


WILLIAM  PHILANDER  TUBES  143 

"And  a  bouquet  of  flowers,"  added  Sam.  He 
knew  that  Grace  loved  flowers. 

"Yes.    I  didn't  forget  them,  Sam." 

The  boys  arrived  in  Ashton  a  little  ahead  of 
time,  and  while  waiting  for  the  chauffeur  of  the 
car  to  appear  they  walked  down  to  the  depot 
to  see  if  there  would  be  any  new  arrivals  on  the 
Saturday  special. 

When  the  train  pulled  into  the  depot  a  tall, 
well-dressed  youth,  with  an  elaborate  dress-suit 
case  and  a  bag  of  golf  sticks,  descended  from  the 
parlor  car  and  gazed  around  him  wonderingly. 

"Are  you — ah — sure  this  is — ah — Ashton?'* 
he  inquired  of  the  porter. 

"Yes,  sah,"  was  the  brisk  answer. 

"Not  a — ah — very  large  place,  is  it,  now?" 
drawled  the  passenger. 

"Look  who's  here!"  burst  out  Tom  as  he  hur- 
ried forward. 

"Why,  it's  Tubbs— William  Philander  Tubbs!" 
ejaculated  Sam. 

And  sure  enough,  it  was  Tubbs,  the  most 
dudish  pupil  Putnam  Hall  had  ever  known,  and 
one  with  whom  the  cadets  had  had  no  end  of 
fun. 

"My  dear  old  Buttertub,  how  are  you?"  called 
out  Tom  loudly,  and  caught  the  new  arrival  by 


144  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

the  shoulder.  "How  are  you,  and  how  is  the 
wife,  and  the  eight  children?" 

"Why — ah — is  it  really  Tom  Rover!"  gasped 
Tubbs.  He  stared  at  Tom  and  then  at  Dick  and 
Sam.  "What  are  you — ah — doing  here,  may  I 
inquire?  But  please,"  he  added  hurriedly,  "don't 
call  me  Buttertub,  and  don't  say  I  have  a  wife 
and  children,  when  I  haven't."  And  Tubbs 
looked  around  to  see  if  anybody  had  overheard 
Tom's  remark. 

"We  go  to  school  here,"  said  Dick  as  he  shook 
hands.  "Brill  College." 

"Well,  I  never!"  gasped  the  tall  dude.  "Brill, 
did  you  say?" 

"That's  it,"  put  in  Sam. 

"I  am  going  there  myself." 

"You!"  roared  Tom.  "Hail  Columbia,  happy 
land!  That's  the  best  yet,  Tubblets.  We'll  have 
dead  loads  of  fun.  Did  you  bring  your  pet  poo- 
<ile  and  your  fancywork,  and  those  beautiful  red 
and  yellow  socks  you  used  to  wear?" 

"I  hope  you  didn't  forget  that  green  and  pink 
'necktie  you  used  to  have,"  came  from  Sam,  "and 
the  blue  handkerchief  with  the  purple  variegated 
border." 

"I — ah — I  never  had  those  things,"  stormed 
Tubbs.  "Oh,  say,  do  you  really  go  to  Brill?" 
he  questioned,  with  almost  a  flrroan  in  his  voice. 


WILLIAM  PHILANDER  TUBES  145, 

"Sure  as  you're  born,"  answered  Dick.  "We'll 
be  glad  to  have  you  there,  William  Philander, 
You'll  be  a  credit  to  the  institution.  We  have 
a  few  fellows  who  dress  well,  but  you'll  top  them 
all.  I  know  it." 

"Do  you — ah — really  think  I  can — ah — I  will 
be  as  well  dressed  as  the — ah — as  anybody?" 
asked  the  dude  eagerly.  He  was  a  fair  scholar, 
but  his  mind  was  constantly  on  the  subject  of 
what  to  wear  and  how  to  wear  it. 

"Oh,  you'll  lead  the  bunch,  and  all  the  girls 
at  Hope  will  fall  dead  in  love  with  you,"  an- 
swered Tom 

"Hope?    What  do  you  mean?" 

"That's  the  seminary  for  girls.  Fine  lot  of 
girls  there,  waiting  to  see  you,  Philliam  Willan- 
der." 

"William  Philander,  please.  So  there  is  a  girls' 
school  here,  eh?  That's — ah — very  nice.  Yes,  I 
like  the  girls — I  always  did.  But,  Tom,  please 
don't  call  me — ah — Buttertub.  I  think  it's  hor- 
rid, don't  you  know." 

"All  right,  Washtub,  anything  you  say  stands 
still,"  answered  Tom  cheerfully.  "I  wouldn't 
hurt  your  feelings  for  a  million  warts." 

"There  is  the  carriage  for  Brill,"  said  Sam, 
pointing  it  out. 

"Are  you  going  with  me?"  asked  the  dude. 


146  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"No.  We  are  not  going  back  until  this  eve- 
ning," explained  Dick.  "We'll  see  you  later." 

"Only  one  other  student  going  with  you," 
^dded  Tom  mischievously.  "He's  kind  of  queer, 
but  I  guess  he  won't  hurt  you."  He  had  seen 
an  innocent,  quiet  youth,  named  Smith,  getting 
into  the  college  turnout. 

"Queer?"  asked  Tubbs. 

"Yes.  Gets  fits,  or  something  like  that.  He 
won't  hurt  you  if  you  keep  your  hand  to  your 
nose." 

"My — ah — my  hand  to  my  nose?" 

"Yes,"  went  on  Tom  innocently.  "You  see, 
he  has  an  idea  that  folks  are  smelling  things.  So 
if  you  keep  your  hand  to  your  nose  he  will  know 
you  are  not  smelling  anything,  so  he'll  keep 
quiet." 

"I  don't — ah — know  as  I  like  that,"  stam- 
mered William  Philander. 

"Carriage  for  the  college!"  called  the  driver, 
approaching,  and  before  he  could  say  anything 
the  Rovers  had  Tubbs  in  the  turnout. 

"Mr.  Smith,  Mr.  Tubbs,"  said  Dick,  introduc- 
ing the  students.  Smith  bowed,  and  so  did 
Tubbs.  Then  the  hand  of  the  dude  went  up  to 
his  nose  and  stayed  there. 

"Good-by!    See  you  later  1"  cried  Tom. 


WILLIAM  PHILANDER  TUBES  147 

"Be  careful,"  warned  Sam,  and  tapped  his 
nose. 

"I — I  think  I'd — ah — rather  walk,"  groaned 
Tubbs. 

"It's  too  far,"  answered  Dick.  Then  the  car- 
riage rolled  away.  As  it  passed  out  of  sight  they 
saw  William  Philander  with  his  hand  still  tight 
on  his  olfactory  organ. 

"Wonder  what  Smith  will  think?""  remarked 
Dick  after  the  three  brothers  had  had  a  good 
laugh  over  the  sight. 

"He'll  certainly  think  Tubblets  queer,"  an- 
swered Sam. 

"Tubby  will  be  a  barrel  of  fun,"  said  Tom. 
"I'm  mighty  glad  he's  come.  It  will  aid  to 
brighten  up  our  existence  considerably." 

The  Rover  boys  were  soon  on  their  way  to 
where  they  were  to  meet  the  girls,  at  a  point 
on  the  road  some  distance  from  Hope  Seminary. 
Soon  the  whole  crowd  was  in  the  big  touring 
car,  and  away  they  skimmed  over  a  road  which, 
if  it  was  not  particularly  good,  was  likewise  by 
no  means  bad. 

"And  where  are  we  going?"  asked  Dora,  for 
that  had  been  kept  a  secret. 

"To  a  town  about  twenty  miles  from  here," 
said  Dick.  "We  are  to  have  supper  there,  at 
the  hotel." 


148  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"How  nice!"  came  in  a  chorus  from  the  girls. 

"I  just  love  automobiling,"  said  Nellie.  "I 
*nsh  I  had  a  car." 

"I'll  get  you  one,"  said  Tom,  and  added  in  a 
whisper,  "Just  wait  till  we  are  settled  down. 
We'll  have  the  finest  auto  rides  that " 

"Torn  Rover!"  cried  Nellie,  and  then  blushed 
and  giggled.  "Oh,  look  at  the  beautiful  autumn 
leaves!"  she  added,  to  change  the  subject.  But 
a  second  later  she  gave  Tom  an  arch  look  that 
meant  a  good  deal.  They  seemed  to  understand 
each  other  fully  as  well  as  did  Dick  and  Dora. 

The  ride  to  Toddville  was  one  long  to  be  re- 
membered. They  talked  and  sang,  and  the  boys 
told  of  the  meeting  with  Tubbs  and  the  joke 
played,  and  this  set  the  girls  almost  in  hysterics, 
for  they  were  acquainted  with  the  dude,  and 
knew  his  peculiarities. 

When  they  arrived  at  the  hotel  the  spread 
was  almost  ready  for  them,  and  by  the  time  they 
had  washed  and  brushed  up  all  felt  rather  hun- 
gry. There  was  a  fine  bouquet  on  the  table,  and 
in  addition  a  tiny  one  at  each  plate. 

"Oh,  how  nice!"  cried  Grace. 

"Let  me  pin  this  on  you,"  said  Dora  to  Dick, 
and  fastened  the  small  bouquet  in  his  button- 
hole. The  other  girls  performed  a  like  service 
for  Tom  and  Sam. 


WILLIAM  PHILANDER  TUBES  149 

The  meal  was  served  in  a  private  dining-room, 
so  all  felt  free  to  act  as  if  they  were  at  home. 
They  talked  and  cracked  jokes  to  their  hearts' 
content,  and  the  boys  told  their  best  stories. 
They  also  grew  serious  at  times,  talking  of  home 
and  their  folks. 

"Mamma  hasn't  heard  another  word  from  Tad 
Sobber,"  said  Dora  to  Dick. 

"And  I  hope  he  never  appears  again,"  an- 
swered the  oldest  Rover. 

The  meal  was  about  half  finished  when  one  of 
the  waiters  came  to  Dick  and  said  the  chauffeur 
would  like  to  speak  to  him. 

"Very  well,"  answered  the  oldest  Rover,  and 
excusing  himself  to  the  others,  he  went  out  into 
the  hallway. 

"I've  just  got  a  telephone  message  from  Ray- 
town,"  said  the  chauffeur.  "My  brother  has 
been  hurt  at  a  fire  there,  and  they  want  me.  I 
don't  know  what  to  do.  I  might  send  for  an- 
other man  to  run  the  car,  but  you'll  have  to  wait 
r  until  he  comes.  Would  you  be  willing  to  do 
that?" 

"I  might  run  the  car  myself,"  answered  Dick. 
He  could  see  that  the  chauffeur  was  much  wor- 
ried av^r  tVu»  «e\vs  he  had  received. 

"Could  you  do  that,  sir?  If  you  could  it 
would  help  me  out  a  whole  lot.  My  brother  ha> 


150  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

a  wife  and  two  little  children,  and  she'll  be 
scared  to  death  if  Bill  is  injured." 

'Then  go  right  along.  Only  see  to  it  that  the 
car  is  in  good  working  order,"  answered  Dick. 
And  then  he  followed  the  chauffeur  to  the  shed 
where  the  automobile  was  stored,  and  had  the 
peculiar  working  of  that  make  of  car  explained 
to  him.  As  my  old  readers  know,  Dick  had 
driven  a  car  before,  and  understood  very  well 
how  to  do  it. 

As  there  was  no  particular  need  for  hurrying, 
and  as  it  promised  to  be  a  fine  moonlight  night, 
the  Rover  boys  and  their  company  did  not  leave 
the  hotel  until  nearly  eight  o'clock.  Then  Dick 
lit  the  lamps  of  the  machine  and  ran  it  around 
to  the  piazza.,  and  the  others  bundled  in. 

"Are  you  sure  you  can  run  this  car,  Dick?" 
asked  Dora  a  bit  timidly. 

"Oh,  yes,  Dora.  It  is  of  a  make  that  I  have 
run  before,  only  the  other  was  a  five-seat  instead 
of  a  seven.  But  this  one  runs  the  same  way." 

"Dick  is  a  born  chauffeur,"  said  Sam.  "Wait 
till  you  see  him  let  the  car  out  to  sixty  miles 
an  hour." 

"Mercy!  I  don't  want  to  run  as  fast  as  that!" 
cried  Grace. 

"We'd  all  be  killed  if  anything  should  hap- 
pen," added  Nellie. 


WILLIAM  PHILANDER  TUBBS  151 

"Don't  you  worry.  Dick  will  crawl  along  at 
three  miles  per,"  drawled  Tom.  "The  moon- 
light is  too  fine  to  run  fast.  Besides,  Dora  is 
going  to  sit  in  front  with  him." 
\  "I'll  make  the  run  in  about  an  hour  and  a 
/half,"  said  Dick,  "and  that  is  fast  enough.  We 
don't  want  to  get  back  too  early." 

"Might  go  around  the  block,"  suggested  Sam. 

"Around  the  block  would  mean  about  fifteen 
miles  extra,"  said  Dora,  who  knew  all  about 
country  "blocks." 

"I  don't  know  the  roads,  so  I'll  keep  to  the 
one  we  came  on,"  answered  Dick.  "All  ready? 
Then  off  we  go,"  he  added,  and  started  on  low 
speed,  which  he  soon  changed  to  second  and 
then  high.  "This  is  something  like!"  he  cried 
as  he  settled  back  with  his  hands  on  the  wheel. 

"Keep  your  eyes  on  the  road,  and  not  on 
Dora,"  cautioned  Tom. 

"Say  another  word  and  I'll  drag  you  from 
Nellie  and  make  you  run  the  car,"  retorted  Dick, 
.and  then  Tom  shut  up  promptly. 

Mile  after  mile  was  covered,  and  Dick  proved 
that  he  could  run  the  big  automobile  fully  as 
well  as  the  regular  driver.  The  moon  was  shin- 
ing brightly,  so  that  it  was  very  pleasant.  The 
party  sang  songs  and  enjoyed  themselves  im- 
mensely. 


1 52  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

They  were  still  two  miles  from  Ashton  when 
they  came  to  a  turn  in  the  road.  Here  there 
were  a  number  of  trees,  and  it  was  much  darker 
than  it  had  been.  Dick  slowed  up  a  trifle  and 
peered  ahead. 

Suddenly  the  front  lamps  of  the  machine 
shone  down  on  something  in  the  roadway  that 
sent  back  a  strange  sparkle  of  light.  Dick  bent 
forward  and  uttered  an  exclamation  of  dismay. 
He  turned  off  the  power  and  jammed  on  both 
brakes. 

"What's  the  matter?"  cried  Sam  and  Tom  in 
a  breath,  and  the  girls  gave  a  scream  of  fear. 

Bang!  came  a  report  from  under  the  car. 

One  of  the  tires  had  burst. 


CHAPTER  XV 

AS  AUTOMOBILING  ADVENTURE 

"WHAT  did  you  run  over?"  asked  Sam. 

"Look  for  yourself,"  returned  his  big  brother. 
"This  is  an  outrage!  I  wish  I  could  catch  the 
party  responsible  for  it,"  he  added  bitterly. 

Dick  had  stopped  the  touring  car  in  the  midst 
of  a  quantity  of  broken  glass  bottles.  The  glass 
covered  the  road  from  side  to  side,  and  had  evi- 
dently been  put  there  on  purpose. 

"Say,  do  you  think  that  chauffeur  had  any- 
thing to  do  with  this?"  demanded  Tom. 

"Hardly,"  answered  Dick.  "If  his  story  about 
the  fire  was  not  true  he'd  know  he'd  be  found 
out." 

"Maybe  it  was  done  by  some  country  fellow 
who  is  running  an  auto  repair  shop,"  suggested 
Sam.  "I've  heard  of  such  things  being  done — 
when  business  was  dull." 

"Well,  we'll  have  to  fix  the  tire,  that  is  all 
there  is  to  it,"  said  the  oldest  Rover.  "Might 
'S3 


1 54  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

as  well  get  out  while  we  are  doing  it,"  he  added 
to  the  girls. 

"Lucky  you  stopped  when  you  did,"  said  Tom 
as  he  walked  around  the  machine.  "If  you 
hadn't  we  might  have  had  all  four  tires  busted." 

"What  a  contemptible  trick  to  play,"  said 
Dora  as  she  alighted. 

"Can  you  mend  the  tire?"  asked  Nellie  as  she, 
too,  got  out,  followed  by  her  sister. 

"Oh,  yes,  we  can  mend  it — or  rather  put  on 
another,"  said  Dick.  "But  we'll  examine  all  the 
tires  first,"  he  added,  taking  off  a  lamp  for  that 
purpose. 

It  was  found  that  each  tire  had  some  glass 
in  it,  and  the  bits  were  picked  out  with  care. 
While  this  was  going  on  Dick  suddenly  swung 
the  lamp  around  so  that  its  rays  struck  through 
the  trees  and  bushes  lining  the  roadway. 

"Look!  look!"  he  cried.  "There  is  somebody 
watching  us!" 

"The  fellow  who  is  guilty,"  added  Sam. 

"Catch  him!"  came  from  Tom,  and  he  made 
a  quick  rush  forward. 

"Say,  we've  got  to  get  out  of  here,"  came 
in  a  low  voice  from  among  the  trees.  "Run 
for  all  you  are  worth!" 

"I  told  you  to  get  back,"  said  another  voice. 
"Come  on  this  way." 


AN  AUTOMOBILING  ADVENTURE         155 

A  crashing  through  the  brushwood  back  of 
the  trees  followed.  Dick  held  up  the  lamp  and 
threw  the  rays  in  the  direction  of  the  sounds. 
He  and  his  brothers  caught  a  glimpse  of  twc 
boys  or  men  hurrying  away. 

"Stop,  or  I'll  shoot!"  cried  Tom,  although  he 
had  no  weapon  at  his  command.  But  this  cry 
only  made  the  fleeing  ones  move  the  faster. 

"Sam,  you  stay  with  the  girls,"  said  Dick 
quickly.  "Tom  and  I  can  go  after  those  ras- 
cals." 

"All  right,  but  take  care;  they  may  be  dan* 
gerous,"  answered  the  youngest  Rover. 

Tom  had  picked  up  a  eood  sized  stone.  Now 
he  hurled  it  aaead  into  the  bushes.  A  cry  of 
alarm  followed,  but  whether  he  hit  anybody  or 
not  he  could  not  tell. 

Holding  the  lamp  so  that  it  would  light  up 
the  scene  ahead,  Dick  and  Tom  ran  through  the 
grove  of  trees  and  then  into  the  thicket  of  brush- 
wood beyond.  They  could  hear  two  persons 
working  their  way  along,  and  knew  they  must 
be  the  fellows  they  were  after.  Once  they  caught 
sight  of  the  rascals,  but  the  evildoers  lost  no 
time  in  seeking  cover  by  running  for  another 
patch  of  undergrowth. 

"Say,  this  is  fierce!"  cried  Tom  as  he  stepped 
into  a  hole  and  tumbled  headlong. 


156  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"Well,  it's  just  as  bad  for  those  fellows,"  an« 
swered  Dick  grimly. 

"Yes,  but  I  reckon  they  are  not  dressed  up 
as  we  are."  Tom  had  on  his  tuxedo  and  a  white 
tie,  and  Dick  was  similarly  attired.  But  over 
the  dress  suit  each  wore  a  linen  coat,  buttoned 
close  up  to  the  neck. 

The  two  youths  kept  on  until,  much  to  their 
surprise,  they  came  out  on  a  back  road  that  was 
almost  as  good  as  the  highway  they  had  left. 
Here  was  a  rail  fence,  and  as  they  halted  at  this 
Tom  pointed  down  the  road  a  distance. 

"Somebody  on  wheels,"  he  cried.  "Turn  the 
light  on  'em!" 

Dick  did  as  requested,  and  to  their  astonish- 
ment they  beheld  two  young  fellows  on  bicycles. 
They  had  their  heads  bent  low  over  the  handle- 
bars, and  were  streaking  along  at  top  speed. 
Soon  a  bend  of  the  road  hid  them  from  view. 

"Those  are  the  chaps  who  put  that  glass  in 
the  roadway,"  said  Tom. 

"I  believe  you,"  answered  his  brother.  "They 
:ame  up  here  on  their  wheels  and  walked 
through  the  woods  to  do  it.  The  question  is, 
who  are  they?" 

"They  are  enemies  of  ours,"  was  the  prompt 
answer. 


'AN  AUTOMOBILING  ADVENTURE         157 

"Yes;  but  how  did  they  know  we  were  com- 
ing this  way,  and  in  the  auto?" 

'They  might  have  overheard  us  talking  to 
Songbird  or  Stanley." 

"Can  they  be  Flockley  and  Koswell?" 

"More  likely  Koswell  and  Larkspur.  Flock- 
ley  hasn't  the  backbone  to  do  a  thing  like  this. 
He's  too  much  of  a  dude." 

Dick  and  Tom  took  a  look  around  the  vicin- 
ity. By  the  light  of  the  lamp  they  saw  where 
the  others  h?.d  leaped  the  fence  and  mounted 
their  bicycles. 

"They  are  the  guilty  ones,  I  am  sure  of  that," 
said  Dick.  "I  wish  we  had  seen  their  faces." 

The  youths  went  back  to  the  auto  and  told 
of  their  adventure.  Sam  and  the  girls  listened 
with  interest  to  what  they  had  to  say. 

"Those  boys  must  be  very  wicked,"  said  Nel- 
lie. "If  we  had  been  running  fast  we  might  have 
had  a  serious  accident." 

"Shall  you  accuse  them  of  it?"  asked  Dora. 

"I  don't  know.  I'll  think  it  over,"  answered 
Dick. 

"The  cut-up  tire  has  got  to  be  paid  for,"  said 
Tom.  "Whoever  is  guilty  ought  to  be  made  to 
foot  the  bill." 

While  Dick  and  Sam  jacked  up  the  axle  oS 
the  automobile  and  put  on  a  new  tire — inner 


158  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

tube  and  shoe  combined — Sam  set  to  work  and 
cleaned  up  the  roadway,  throwing  all  the  glass 
into  the  bushes.  Then  the  new  tire  was  pumped 
up  and  tested. 

"Now  we  are  all  right  again,"  said  Dick. 

"I  am  glad  we  had  to  mend  but  one,"  said 
Tom.  He  felt  pretty  dirty  from  the  job,  but  he 
was  not  going  to  tell  the  girls. 

All  entered  the  touring  car  again,  and  Dick 
turned  on  the  power.  He  ran  slowly  at  first  to 
test  the  new  tire. 

"All  O.  K.,"  he  announced  presently,  and  then 
they  went  spinning  along  as  before.  But  the 
"edge"  had  been  taken  off  the  ride,  and  they 
did  not  seem  as  free-hearted  and  full  of  fun  as 
they  had  been  before  the  mishap. 

It  was  after  ten  o'clock  when  the  seminary 
was  reached,  and  the  girls  found  one  of  the  un- 
der teachers  waiting  for  them. 

"Young  ladies,  you  were  told  to  be  in  at  ten/* 
said  the  teacher  severely.  "It  is  now  half  after." 

"We  had  an  accident,"  answered  Dora,  and 
told  what  it  was. 

"You  must  not  stay  away  later  than  the  time 
originally  allowed,"  said  the  teacher  severely. 
"Remember  that  after  this,  please,"  and  then 
she  dismissed  the  girls. 

When  the  boys  got  to  the  garage  where  the 


AN  AUTOMOBILING  ADVENTURE         159 

automobile  belonged  they  told  the  man  in 
charge  about  the  chauffeur  and  of  what  had  hap- 
pened on  the  road.  The  garage  manager  could 
hardly  believe  the  story  about  the  broken  glass. 

"You'll  have  to  pay  for  that  tire,"  he  said 
coldly.  "You  can't  expect  to  make  me  stand 
the  loss." 

"I  suppose  not,"  answered  Dick.  "You  can 
have  the  old  tire  repaired  and  send  the  bill  to 
me.  And  now  I  want  somebody  to  take  us  up 
to  Brill  just  as  quickly  as  it  can  be  done.  It  is 
getting  late." 

"I'll  get  a  man  right  away,"  said  the  man- 
ager in  a  relieved  tone,  and  two  minutes  later 
the  three  Rover  boys  were  being  whirled  toward 
the  college. 

"Do  you  think  those  fellows  are  back  yet?" 
questioned  Sam  as  they  sped  along  the  road. 

"That's  what  I  want  to  find  out,"  returned 
Dick.  "That  is,  provided  they  came  from  here." 

They  left  the  car  at  the  entrance  to  the 
grounds,  and  the  chauffeur  at  once  turned 
around  and  started  back  for  Ashton. 

"We'll  take  a  look  around  the  gymnasium  ^ 
first,"  said  Dick.    "That  is  where  they  keep  the 
bicycles  and  such  things." 

They  hurried  in  the  direction  of  the  gym- 
nasium, and  finding  the  door  unlocked,  entered. 


160  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

The  building  was  dark  and  deserted,  for  it  was 
now  after  eleven  o'clock. 

"Hello  there!"  called  a  voice  from  a  distance, 
and  a  watchman  appeared,  lantern  in  hand. 
"What's  wanted?" 

"We  want  to  look  at  the  bicycles,  Pinkey," 
answered  Dick. 

"The  bicycles?  Ain't  goin'  for  no  ride  this 
time  o'  night,  are  you?"  asked  the  watchman. 

"No.  We  want  to  see  if  any  of  them  have 
been  used." 

"Think  somebody  has  been  usin'  your  machine 
on  the  sly?" 

To  this  question  the  Rovers  did  not  reply,  for 
the  reason  that  they  had  no  bicycles  at  Brill. 
The  watchman  led  the  way  to  the  bicycle  room. 
Here  were  about  twenty  bicycles  and  half  a 
dozen  motor  cycles,  all  belonging  to  various  stu- 
dents. 

"Ain't  half  as  many  as  there  used  to  be,"  re- 
marked Pinkey.  "When  the  craze  was  on  we 
had  about  a  hundred  an'  fifty.  It's  all  automo- 
biling  now." 

The  boys  looked  over  the  various  wheels  and 
felt  of  the  working  parts  and  the  lamps.  Pres- 
ently Sam  found  a  hot  lamp  and  Dick  located 
another. 


AN  AUTOMOBILING  ADVENTURE         161 

"Who  do  these  machines  belong  to?"  asked 
Dick. 

"There's  the  list,"  said  the  watchman,  point- 
ing to  a  written  sheet  tacked  on  the  wall.  "Thejr 
are  No.  15  and  No.  9."  , 

The  boys  looked  at  the  sheet,  and  read  thej 
names  of  Walter  D.   Flood  and  Andrew  W. 
Crossley,  two  juniors,  whom  they  knew  by  sight 
only. 

"They  wouldn't  play  this  trick  on  us,"  whis- 
pered Dick  to  his  brothers.  "They  must  have 
loaned  their  bicycles  to  others." 

"Right  you  are,"  answered  Tom.  "We'll  have 
to  question  them." 

"Do  you  know  where  they  room?" 

"No;  but  we  can  find  out  from  the  register." 

They  entered  their  dormitory  and  found  out 
that  Flood  and  Crossley  were  in  the  next  build- 
ing, occupying  Room  14  together. 

"That's  luck,"  said  Sam.  "We  won't  have 
to  wake  up  anybody  else." 

It  was  against  the  rules  to  be  prowling  around 
the  dormitories  so  late  at  night,  so  the  Rovers 
had  to  be  cautious  in  their  movements.  They 
mounted  the  stairs  to  the  second  floor  and  had 
to  hide  in  a  corner  while  a  proctor  marched  past 
and  out  of  hearing.  Then,  aided  by  the  dim, 
light  that  was  burning,  they  located  No.  14. 


162  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

Dick  knocked  lightly  on  the  door,  and  re- 
ceiving no  answer,  knocked  again.  Still  there 
was  silence. 

"Must  be  pretty  heavy  sleepers,"  murmured 
Tom.  "Try  the  doorknob." 

Dick  did  so,  and  found  the  door  locked.  Then 
he  knocked  again,  this  time  louder  than  before. 

"You'll  knock  a  long  time  to  wake  them  up," 
said  a  voice  behind  them,  and  turning  they  saw 
Frank  Holden  grinning  at  them. 

"Hello,"  said  Dick  softly.  "Why,  what's 
wrong?" 

"Nobody  in  that  room,  that's  all,"  answered 
the  sophomore. 

"Don't  Flood  and  Crossley  sleep  here?"  asked 
Sam. 

"Yes,  when  they  are  at  college,  but  they  got 
permission  to  go  home  yesterday,  and  they 
went,  and  they  won't  be  back  until  Monday." 

At  this  Dick  whistled  softly  to  himself. 

"It's  all  up,  so  far  as  finding  out  who  used  the 
wheels  is  concerned,"  he  said  to  his  brothers. 
"Whoever  took  them  did  so,  most  likely,  with- 
out permission." 

"I  guess  you  are  right,"  returned  Tom. 

"Anything  I  can  do  for  you?"  asked  Frank 
Holden  pleasantly. 

"Nothing,  thank  you,"  replied  Dick;  and  then 


AN  AUTOMOBIL1NG  ADVENTURE         163 

he  and  his  brothers  withdrew  and  made  their 
way  to  their  own  rooms  as  silently  as  possible. 
On  the  way  they  stopped  at  the  doors  of  the 
rooms  occupied  by  Koswell  and  Larkspur  and 
listened.  The  students  within  were  snoring. 

"No  use,"  said  Tom  softly.  "We'll  have  to 
catch  them  some  other  way — if  they  are  guilty." 
And  his  brothers  agreed  with  him. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

SOMETHING  ABOUT  A  CANE 

BUT  if  Koswell  and  Larkspur  were  guilty,  they 
kept  very  quiet  about  it,  and  the  Rover  boys 
were  unable  to  prove  anything  against  them. 
The  bill  for  the  cut-up  tire  came  to  Dick,  and 
he  paid  it. 

The  college  talk  was  now  largely  about  foot- 
ball, and  one  day  a  notice  was  posted  that  all 
candidates  for  admission  on  the  big  eleven 
should  register  at  the  gymnasium. 

"I  think  I'll  put  my  name  down,"  said  Tom. 

"And  I'll  do  the  same,"  returned  Dick,  "but 
I  doubt  if  we'll  get  much  of  a  show,  since  they 
know  nothing  of  our  playing  qualities  here." 

There  were  about  thirty  candidates,  including 
thirteen  who  had  played  on  the  big  team  before. 
But  two  of  these  candidates  were  behind  in  their 
studies,  and  had  to  be  dropped,  by  order  of  the 
(acuity. 

"That  leaves  a  full  eleven  anyway  of  old  play- 
164 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  A   CANE 

ers,"  said  Sam.  "Not  much  hope  for  you,"  he 
added  to  his  brothers. 

"They'll  do  considerable  shifting;  every  col- 
lege team  does,"  said  Dick;  and  he  was  right. 
After  a  good  deal  of  scrub  work  and  a  general 
sizing  up  of  the  different  candidates,  four  of  the 
old  players  were  dropped,  while  another  went 
to  the  substitutes'  bench. 

It  was  now  a  question  between  nine  of  the 
new  candidates,  and  after  another  tryout  Dick 
was  put  in  as  a  guard,  he  having  shown  an  ex- 
ceptional fitness  for  filling  that  position.  Tom 
got  on  the  substitutes'  bench,  which  was  some- 
thing, if  not  much.  Then  practice  began  in 
earnest,  for  the  college  was  to  play  a  game 
against  Roxley,  another  college,  on  a  Saturday, 
ten  days  later. 

"I  hope  you  win,  Dick,"  said  Sam.  "And  it's 
a  pity  you  didn't  get  on  the  gridiron,  Tom,"  he 
continued. 

"Oh,  I'll  get  on,  sooner  or  later,"  answered 
Tom  with  a  grin.  "Football  is  no  baby  play, 
and  somebody  is  bound  to  get  hurt." 

"You're  not  wishing  that,  are  you?"  asked 
Songbird. 

"No,  indeed!  But  I  know  how  it  goes. 
Haven't  I  been  hurt  myself,  more  than  once?" 

The  football  game  was  to  take  place  at  Brill, 


l66  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

on  the  athletic  field,  and  the  college  students 
were  privileged  to  invite  a  certain  number  of 
their  friends.  The  Rovers  promptly  invited 
Dora,  Nellie  and  Grace,  and  it  was  arranged  that 
Sam  should  see  to  it  that  the  girls  got  there. 

"Sam  will  have  as  good  a  time  as  anybody," 
said  Tom.  "He'll  have  the  three  girls  all  to 
himself." 

"Well,  you  can't  have  everything  in  this 
world,"  replied  the  youngest  Rover  with  a  grin. 
"I  guess  football  honors  will  be  enough  for  you 
this  time." 

"If  we  win,"  put  in  Dick.  "I  understand  Rox- 
ley  has  a  splendid  eleven  this  season.  They  won 
out  at  Stanwell  yesterday,  24  to  10." 

"I  hear  they  are  heavier  than  we  are,"  said 
Tom.  "At  least  ten  pounds  to  the  man.  That 
is  going  to  count  for  something." 

At  that  moment  William  Philander  Tubbs 
came  up.  He  was  attired,  as  usual,  in  the  height 
of  fashion,  and  sported  a  light  gold-headed 
cane. 

"For  gracious  sake,  look  at  Tubby!"  ex- 
claimed Sam.  "Talk  about  a  fashion  plate!" 

"Hello,  Billy  boy!"  called  out  Tom.  "Going 
to  make  a  social  call  on  your  washerwoman?" 

"No.  He's  going  to  town  to  buy  a  pint  of 
peanuts,"  said  Sam. 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  A   CANE  16? 

"I  thought  he  might  be  going  to  a  funeral — • 
dressed  so  soberly,"  added  Dick,  and  this  caused 
a  general  laugh,  for  Tubbs  was  attired  in  a  light 
gray  suit,  patent  leathers  with  spats,  and  a 
cream-colored  necktie,  with  gloves  to  match. 

"How  do  you  do?"  said  William  Philander 
politely,  as  if  he  had  not  seen  the  others  in  the 
classrooms  an  hour  before.  "Pleasant  day." 

"Looks  a  bit  stormy  to  me,"  answered  Dick, 
as  he  saw  several  sophomores  eyeing  Tubbs  an- 
grily. It  was  against  the  rule  of  Brill  for  a 
freshman  to  carry  a  cane. 

"Stormy,  did  you  say?"  repeated  the  dude  in 
dismay.  "Why,  I — ah — thought  it  very  fine, 
don't  you  know.  Perhaps  I  had  better  take  an 
— ah — umbrella  instead  of  this  cane." 

"It  would  be  much  safer,"  returned  Dick  sig- 
nificantly. 

"But  I — ah — don't  see  any  clouds,"  went  OD 
William  Philander,  gazing  up  into  the  sky. 

"They  are  coming,"  cried  Tom. 

"Stand  from  under!"  called  out  Sam. 

And  then  the  "clouds"  did  come,  although 
not  the  kind  the  dude  anticipated.  Six  sopho- 
mores came  up  behind  Tubbs,  and  while  two 
caught  him  by  the  arms  a  third  wrenched  the 
gold-headed  cane  from  his  grasp. 


THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"Hi!  hi!  Stop  that,  I  say!"  cried  William 
Philander  in  alarm.  "Let  me  alone!  Give  me 
back  my  cane!" 

"You  don't  get  this  cane  back,  freshie,"  an- 
swered one  of  the  second-year  students. 

"You  must  give  it  to  me!  Why,  Miss  Marga- 
ret DeVoe  Marlow  gave  me  that  cane  last  sum- 
mer, when  we  were  at  Newport.  I  want " 

"No  more  cane  for  you,  freshie!"  was  the  cry. 
And  then,  to  Tubbs'  untold  horror,  one  of  the 
sophomores  placed  the  cane  across  his  knee  as 
if  to  break  it  in  two. 

"Don't  you  break  that  cane!  Don't  you  dare 
to  do  it!"  cried  the  dude,  and  then  he  com- 
menced to  struggle  violently,  for  the  cane  was 
very  dear  to  him,  being  a  birthday  gift  from  one 
of  his  warmest  lady  friends.  In  the  scuffle  which 
followed  William  Philander  had  his  collar  and 
necktie  torn  from  him  and  his  coat  was  split  up 
the  back. 

"Say,  this  is  going  too  far!"  cried  Dick,  and 
then  he  raised  his  voice:  "Freshmen  to  the  res- 
cue!" 

"This  is  none  of  your  affair,"  growled  the 
sophomore  who  had  led  the  attack  on  Tubbs. 

"Don't  break  that  cane!"  cried  Tom.  "If  you 
do  somebody  will  get  a  bloody  nose!" 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  A   CANE  169 

"We'll  do  as  we  please!"  cried  several  second- 
year  students. 

Then  Tom  and  Sam  rushed  for  the  cane  and 
got  hold  of  it.  Two  sophomores  held  fast  on  the 
other  side,  and  a  regular  tug-of-war  ensued.  In 
the  meantime  other  sophomores  were  making 
life  miserable  for  Tubbs.  They  took  his  hat  and 
used  it  for  a  football,  and  threw  the  dude  on  his 
back  and  piled  on  top  of  him  until  he  thought 
his  ribs  were  going  to  be  stove  in. 

"What's  the  row?"  The  call  came  from  Stan- 
ley, and  he  and  Max  appeared,  followed  by 
Songbird  and  several  others. 

"Attack  on  Tubblets!"  called  Tom.  "To  the 
rescue,  everybody!  Save  the  cane!" 

And  then  a  crowd  of  at  least  twelve  students 
surrounded  the  cane,  hauling  and  twisting  it  this 
way  and  that.  It  was  a  determined  but  good- 
natured  crowd.  The  sophomores  felt  they  must 
break  the  offending  stick  into  bits,  while  the 
freshmen  considered  it  the  part  of  honor  to  save 
the  same  bit  of  wood  from  destruction. 

At  last  Sam  saw  his  chance,  and  with  a  quick 
movement  he  leaped  directly  on  the  shoulders 
of  one  of  the  second-year  students.  As  the  fel- 
low went  down  he  caught  hold  of  two  of  his 
chums  to  save  himself.  This  loosened  the  hold 


1 70  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

on  the  cane,  and  in  a  twinkling  Sam,  aided  by 
Stanley,  had  it  in  his  possession.  He  leaped 
down  and  started  on  a  run  for  the  dormitory. 

"After  him!    Get  the  cane!" 

"Don't  let  him  get  away  with  it!" 

"Nail  him,  somebody!" 

So  the  cries  rang  out.  Several  sophomores 
tried  to  head  the  youngest  Rover  off,  but  he 
was  too  quick  for  them.  He  dodged  to  the 
right  and  the  left,  and  hurled  one  boy  flat.  Then 
he  ran  around  a  corner  of  a  building,  mounted 
the  steps  to  a  side  door,  and  disappeared  from 
view. 

"Hurrah  for  Sam  Rover!" 

"Say,  that  was  as  good  as  a  run  on  the  foot- 
ball field!" 

"That's  the  time  the  sophs  got  left." 

"Hi!  Where's  my  cane?"  howled  William 
Philander,  gazing  around  in  perplexity  as  soon 
as  the  second-year  students  let  go  of  him. 

"Sam  has  it,"  answered  Tom.  "And  it  wasn't 
broken,  either,"  he  added  with  pride. 

"But — ah — why  did  he — ah — run  away  with 
it?"  queried  Tubbs  innocently. 

"To  stop  the  slaughter  of  the  innocents,"  an- 
swered Dick.  "He'll  give  it  back  to  you  later. 
But  don't  try  to  carry  it  again,"  went  on  Dick 
in  a  low  voice. 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  A  CANE 


175 


"Just  look  at  me!"  moaned  William  Philan- 
der as  he  gazed  at  the  wreck  of  his  outfit.  "Look 
at  this  tie — and  it  cost  me  a  dollar  and  seventy- 
five  cents!" 

"Be  thankful  you  weren't  killed,"  answered  a 
sophomore.  "Don't  you  know  better  than  to 
carry  a  cane." 

"I — ah — fancy  I'll  carry  a  cane  if  I  wish,"  an- 
swered Tubbs  with  great  dignity. 

"Not  around  Brill,"  answered  several. 

"And— ah— why  not?" 

"Because  you're  a  freshie,  that's  why.  You 
can  wear  the  colors — because  of  the  necktie  rush 
— but  you  can't  carry  a  cane." 

"Oh — ah — so  that's  it!"  cried  William  Philan- 
der, a  light  breaking  in  on  him.  "But  why  didn't 
you  come  up  politely  and  tell  me  so,  instead  of 
rushing  at  me  like  a — ah — like  mad  bulls?  It 
was  very  rude,  don't  you  know." 

"Next  time  we'll  send  you  a  scented  note  by 
special  liveried  messenger,"  said  one  of  the  sec- 
ond-year students  in  disgust. 

"We'll  have  it  on  engraved  paper,  too,"  added 
another. 

"Thank  you.  That  will  be— ah— better,"  re- 
plied William  Philander  calmly.  "But  look  at 
my  suit,"  he  continued,  and  gave  a  groan.  "I 


172  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

can't — ah — make  any  afternoon  calls  to-day,  and 
I  was  going  to  a  pink  tea " 

"Wow!  A  pink  tea,  boys!"  yelled  one  of  the 
boys.  "Wouldn't  that  rattle  your  back  teeth?" 

"Never  mind,  Tubby.  The  cook  will  give  you 
a  cup  of  coffee  instead,"  said  Tom. 

"I  should  think  you'd  feel  blue  instead  of 
pink,"  added  Spud  Jackson. 

"Sew  up  the  coat  with  a  shoestring,  and  let 
it  go  at  that,"  suggested  Max. 

"If  you  want  to  paste  that  collar  fast  again 
I've  got  a  bottle  of  glue,"  said  Songbird. 

"Now — ah — don't  you  poke  fun  at  me!" 
stormed  William  Philander.  "Haven't  I  suffered 
enough  already?" 

"Why,  we're  not  poking  fun;  we're  weeping," 
said  Tom,  and  pretended  to  wipe  his  eyes  with 
his  handkerchief. 

"I  am  so  sorry  I  could  eat  real  doughnuts," 
said  Dick. 

"Maybe  you  want  to  send  a  substitute  to  that 
pink  tea,"  came  from  Stanley.  "You  might  call 
on  Professor  Sharp." 

"Or  Pinkey,  the  watchman,"  said  Max..  "He'll 
do  it  for  a  quarter,  maybe." 

"I — ah — don't  want  any  substitute,"  growled 
William  Philander.  "I — ah — think  you  are-— ah 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  A  CANE  173; 

. — very  rude,  all  of  you.    I  am  going  back  to  my 
room,  that  is  what  I  am  going  to  do." 
At  this  Tom  began  to  sing  softly: 

"Don't  be  angry,  William,  darling! 

Wipe  the  raindrops  from  your  eyes. 
All  your  sorrows  will  be  passing 
When  you're  eating  Christmas  pies !" 

"You  stop  that — you  mean  thing!"  burst  out 
the  dude,  and  then  turning,  he  almost  ran  for 
the  dormitory,  the  laughter  of  the  students  ring- 
ing out  loudly  after  him. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

A   MISUNDERSTANDING 

"HERE'S  a  letter  from  father — quite  an  impor- 
tant one,  too,"  said  Dick  as  he  joined  his  broth- 
ers in  one  of  the  rooms  several  days  later. 

"What  about?"  questioned  Sam,  while  Tom 
looked  up  from  a  book  with  interest. 

"It's  about  Tad  Sobber  and  that  fortune  from 
Treasure  Isle,"  answered  Dick. 

"What!  Has  that  rascal  showed  up  again?" 
exclaimed  Tom, 

"He  has;  and  according  to  what  father  says, 
lie  is  going  to  make  all  the  trouble  possible  for 
the  Stanhopes  and  the  Lanings." 

"That's  too  bad,"  said  Sam. 

"I'll  read  the  letter,"  went  on  Dick,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  do  so.  In  part  the  communication 
ran  as  follows: 

"You  wrote  that  you  knew  about  Sobber's 
call  upon  Mrs.  Stanhope.  Well,  after  the  girls 
•left  for  Hope  Seminary,  Sobber  and  4  lawyer 
174 


A  MISUNDERSTANDING  175 

named  Martin  Snodd  called  upon  Mr.  Laning 
and  then  upon  me.  Sobber  was  very  bitter,  and 
he  wanted  to  know  all  about  what  had  been 
done  with  the  treasure.  He  claims  that  he  and 
his  uncle,  who  is  dead,  were  robbed  of  the  boxes. 
Evidently  Sobber  and  the  lawyer  had  talked  the 
matter  over  carefully,  for  the  latter  intimated 
that  Sobber  might  settle  the  case  if  the  Stan- 
hopes and  the  Lanings  would  give  him  seventy- 
five  per  cent,  of  the  fortune.  Mr.  Laning  did 
not  wish  to  go  to  law,  and  told  Sobber  he  might 
be  willing  to  settle  for  a  small  amount,  say  two 
or  three  thousand  dollars.  But  Sobber  wouldn't 
listen  to  this,  and  went  off  declaring  he  would 
have  it  all. 

"  'Since  that  time  Martin  Snodd  has  been 
busy,  and  he  has  obtained  a  temporary  injunc- 
tion against  the  Stanhopes  and  the  Lanings,  so 
that  they  cannot  touch  a  dollar  of  the  money, 
which,  as  you  know,  is  now  in  several  banks. 
The  matter  will  now  have  to  await  the  result  of 
the  case,  which  will  probably  be  tried  in  court  some 
months  from  now. 

"  VI  have  learned  that  Sobber  has  little  or  no 
money,  and  that  Martin  Snodd  has  taken  the 
case  on  speculation,  Sobber  to  allow  him  half  of 
whatever  he  gets  out  of  it.  Snodd's  reputation 
h  anything  but  good,  so  I  am  afraid  he  will  have 


176  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

a  lot  of  evidence  manufactured  to  order.  I  have 
recommended  a  firm  of  first-class  lawyers  to 
Mrs.  Stanhope  and  the  Lanings,  and  they  will, 
of  course,  fight  the  matter  to  the  bitter  end." 

"This  is  too  bad!"  cried  Sam  after  Dick  had 
finished.  "So  the  fortune  is  tied  up  so  they  can't 
spend  a  cent  of  what's  left?" 

"They  can't  touch  a  cent  until  the  courts  de- 
cide who  the  fortune  really  belongs  to,"  an- 
swered Dick,  "and  if  Sobber  should  win,  the 
.Stanhopes  and  the  Lanings  will  have  to  pay 
back  that  which  they  have  already  used." 

"Oh,  how  can  Sobber  win?"  cried  Tom. 
"Father  said  the  Stanhope  and  Laning  claims 
were  perfectly  legal." 

"True,  Tom;  but  you  can  never  tell  how  a 
case  is  going  to  turn  out  in  court.  If  this  Mar- 
tin Snodd  is  a  shyster  he  may  have  all  sorts  of 
evidence  cooked  up  against  our  friends.  Sob- 
ber would  most  likely  swear  to  anything,  and 
'SO  would  some  of  the  sailors  saved  from  the 
Josephine.  And  then  there  are  some  of  Sid  Mer- 
rick's  other  relatives,  who  would  try  to  benefit 
by  the  case.  They'd  probably  testify  in  favor 
of  Sobber,  for  they  wouldn't  expect  anything 
from  Mrs.  Stanhope  or  the  Lanings." 

"But  the  records  of  Mr.  Stanhope's  business 
Meals  ought,  to  be  clear,"  said  Sam. 


'A  MISUNDERSTANDING 


177 


"They  are  not  as  clear  as  one  would  wish,  so 
father  told  me,"  answered  Dick.  He  gave  a  long* 
sigh.  "Too  bad!  And  just  when  we  thought 
the  Stanhopes  and  the  Lanings  could  sit  down 
and  enjoy  all  that  fortune." 

"I  wonder  if  the  girls  know  of  this  yet?" 
mused  Tom. 

"Most  likely  they  have  had  word  from  home," 
answered  Dick. 

"It  will  make  them  feel  pretty  sore,"  said 
Sam. 

"Yes,  it  would  make  anybody  feel  sore,"  an- 
swered the  oldest  Rover.  "We'll  have  to  drive 
over  and  see,  the  first  chance  we  get." 

When  they  met  the  girls  the  boys  learned  that 
they  knew  all  about  the  affair.  All  were  wor- 
ried, and  showed  it. 

"This  will  upset  mamma  very  much,"  said 
Dora.  "I  am  afraid  it  will  put  her  in  bed." 

"It's  too  bad,  but  it  can't  be  helped,"  said 
Dick. 

"Dick,  do  you  think  we  ought  to  buy  Sobber 
off?" 

"No.  He  doesn't  deserve  a  cent  of  that 
money." 

"Papa  says  the  case  will  not  come  up  for  a 
long  time,  the  courts  are  so  crowded  with 
cases,"  remarked  Nellie.  "He  is  about  as  wor- 


i;8  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

ried  as  anybody,  for  he  has  already  spent  several 
thousand  dollars,  and  if  we  lose  he  won't  know 
how  to  pay  it  back." 

"We'll  lend  him  the  cash,"  said  Tom  prompt- 
ly, and  for  this  Nellie  gave  him  a  grateful  look. 

The  boys  did  their  best  to  cheer  up  the  girls, 
but  their  efforts  were  not  entirely  successful. 
All  felt  that  the  coming  legal  contest  would  be 
a  bitter  one,  and  that  Tad  Sobber  and  the  shys- 
ter lawyer  who  was  aiding  him  would  do  all  in 
their  power  to  get  possession  of  the  fortune 
found  on  Treasure  Isle. 

The  girls  were  coming  to  the  football  game 
with  Sam,  and  all  said  they  trusted  Brill  would 
win  the  contest. 

"We  are  all  going  to  carry  Brill  flags,"  said 
Grace,  "and  I  am  going  to  root — isn't  that  what 
you  call  it? — as  hard  as  I  can." 

"Then  we'll  be  sure  to  win!"  cried  Dick. 

Yet  the  oldest  Rover  was  by  no  means  confi- 
dent. The  Brill  eleven  had  heard  that  their  op- 
ponents were  in  the  pink  of  condition.  They 
had  played  three  games  already,  and  won  all  of 
them.  Brill  had  played  against  the  scrub  only, 
which  was  hardly  a  test  of  what  it  could  do. 

The  day  for  the  contest  dawned  clear  and 
bright,  and  early  in  the  afternoon  the  visitors 
from  Roxley,  Hope,  and  other  institutions  of 


A  MISUNDERSTANDING 


179 


learning,  as  well  as  from  Ashton  and  other 
towns,  commenced  to  pour  in.  They  came  on 
foot,  in  carriages  and  automobiles,  and  on  bi- 
cycles, and  soon  the  grandstand  and  the  bleach- 
ers were  filled  to  overflowing.  Flags  and  col- 
lege colors  were  in  evidence  everywhere,  and  so 
were  horns  and  rattles. 

While  Dick  was  waiting  to  catch  sight  of  the 
carriage  containing  Sam  and  the  girls  from 
Hope  he  saw  another  turnout  approaching.  In 
it  were  Mr.  Sanderson  and  his  daughter  Minnie. 

"Why,  how  do  you  do,  Mr.  Rover!"  cried 
the  girl  pleasantly. 

"Very  well,"  answered  Dick  politely,  raising 
his  cap.  "And  how  are  you?" 

"Oh,  fine!  I  made  papa  drive  me  over  to  see 
the  game.  It's  going  to  be  something  grand, 
so  I've  heard,"  went  on  Minnie,  and  then  she 
added:  "Thought  you  and  your  brothers  were 
coming  to  see  us?" 

"We — er — we  haven't  had  much  time,"  stam- 
mered Dick.  He  did  not  care  to  add  that  when 
he  went  to  see  a  young  lady  it  was  always  Dora 
Stanhope,  and  that  Tom  and  Sam  called  only 
on  Nellie  and  Grace  Laning. 

"I've  been  expecting  you,"  said  the  girl  with 
a  pretty  pout. 


l8o  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"Have  Dudd  Flockley  and  Jerry  Koswell  been 
there  since?" 

"Yes,  both  of  them  came  once,  and  Flockley 
came  after  that,  but  I  refused  to  see  them.  Mr. 
Flockley  wished  to  bring  me  to  see  this  game, 
but  I  sent  word  that  I  was  going  with  papa." 

"He  ought  to  know  enough  to  stay  away  by 
this  time,"  said  Dick.  He  could  think  of  no 
other  remark  to  make. 

"Can  I  get  a  seat  anywhere?"  asked  Minnie, 
looking  anxiously  over  in  the  direction  of  the 
grandstand. 
'  "I  think  so.    Wait,  I'll  look." 

"Hold  on,"  put  in  Mr.  Sanderson.  "Just  you 
take  Minnie  along,  Mr.  Rover.  I'll  go  and  take 
care  of  the  hoss.  I  can  stand  anywhere  and  look 
on." 

Minnie  prepared  to  spring  to  the  ground,  and 
there  was  nothing  to  do  but  for  Dick  to  assist 
her.  He  wondered  if  Sam  was  coming  with 
Dora  and  the  others,  but  did  not  see  them. 
Then  he  led  the  way  through  the  crowd  to  where 
some  seats  were  reserved. 

"I  think  you'll  be  able  to  see  nicely  from 
here,"  he  said. 

"Oh,  I  know  I  shall."  She  smiled  broadly  at 
him.  "You  are  very  kind.  I  don't  know  what 
I  should  have  done  if  I  had  been  alone — there  is 


A  MISUNDERSTANDING  181 

such  a  jam.  Oh,  I  do  hope  you  win!"  And 
Minnie  beamed  on  Dick  in  a  manner  that  made 
him  blush,  for  he  saw  that  several  were  watching 
them. 

"I  must  go  now.  It  is  getting  late,"  said 
Dick  after  a  little  more  talk.  He  turned,  to  see 
Sam,  Dora  and  the  Laning  girls  only  a  few  seats 
away.  Dora  was  looking  fully  at  Minnie  San- 
derson with  wide  open  eyes  and  a  flush  mount- 
ing to  her  cheeks. 

"Oh,  so  you've  arrived!"  cried  Dick  cheerily, 
but  his  voice  had  a  catch  in  it.  Somehow  he 
felt  guilty,  he  could  not  tell  why. 

"Yes,  here  we  are,"  answered  Nellie. 

"And  what  a  crowd!"  added  Grace.  Dora 
said  not  a  word.  She  had  stopped  looking  at 
Minnie  and  her  eyes  were  directed  to  nothing  at 
all  on  the  football  field. 

"Well,  Dora,  are  you  going  to  wish  me  suc- 
cess?" asked  Dick,  bound  to  say  something. 

"Oh,  I  guess  all  your  lady  friends  will  wish 
you  that,"  was  the  answer  in  a  voice  thr t  did 
not  seem  like  Dora's  at  all. 

"Why,  what's  the  matter?"  he  asked  iff  a  low 
voice  meant  only  for  her  ears. 

"Nothing." 

"But  there  is,  Dora." 


182  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"You  had  better  go  down  to  the  field  now. 
I  see  the  other  players  are  getting  ready." 

"But  if  you  are  angry  at  me " 

"Oh,  I  am  not  angry,  so  please  leave  me 
alone!"  And  now  Dora  turned  still  further 
away,  while  something  like  tears  began  to  spring 
into  her  eyes. 

Dick  drew  back,  for  her  tone  of  voice  nettled 
him.  He  felt  he  had  done  nothing  wrong.  He 
did  not  see  that  look  in  her  eyes,  or  he  would 
have  understood  how  much  she  was  hurt.  He 
turned,  nodded  pleasantly  to  Nellie  and  Grace, 
and  hurried  from  the  grandstand. 

"Where  have  you  been?"  asked  Tom  when  he 
appeared  in  the  dressing-room. 

"Up  on  the  stand,  talking  to  the  girls,"  was 
Dick's  short  answer. 

"Anything  wrong?    You  look  out  of  sorts." 

"No,  nothing  is  wrong,"  answered  the  oldest 
Rover.  But  he  felt  that  there  was  something 
trery  much  wrong,  yet  he  could  not  tell  Tom. 

"I  didn't  do  anything  out  of  the  way,  I'm  sure 
I  didn't,"  Dick  murmured  to  himself  as  he  pre- 
pared to  go  out  on  the  gridiron.  "Any  gentle- 
man would  have  found  a  seat  for  Miss  Sander- 
son. I  suppose  Dora  saw  me  talking  to  her,  and 
now  she  imagines  all  sorts  of  things.  It  isn't 
fair.  Well,  I  don't  care."  And  Dick  whistled 


A  MISUNDERSTANDING  183 

to  himself,  just  to  keep  up  his  courage.  He  did 
care  a  great  deal. 

At  last  he  was  ready,  and  he  followed  Tom  out 
on  the  field.  The  Roxley  team  had  just  come 
out,  and  their  friends  were  giving  them  a  royal 
welcome. 

"Roxley!  Roxley!"  they  shouted.  "They  are 
the  boys  to  win!" 

"It's  Brill  this  time!"  was  the  answering  rally, 
and  then  horns  and  rattles  added  to  the  din, 
while  banners  were  waved  gaily  in  the  bracing  au- 
tumn air. 

Dick  looked  toward  the  grandstand,  trying  to 
single  out  Dora.  Instead,  his  eyes  met  those  of 
Minnie  Sanderson,  and  she  waved  both  her  ban- 
ner and  her  handkerchief.  He  answered  the  sa- 
lute, and  then  turned  to  look  where  Dora  and 
the  Lanings  were  sitting.  Nellie  and  Grace,  as 
well  as  Sam,  cheered  him,  but  Dora  took  no  no- 
tice. But  she  waved  her  flag  at  Tom. 

This  last  action  made  Dick's  heart  sink,  fig- 
uratively speaking,  to  his  shoes.  How  could  a 
fellow  hope  to  play  and  win  with  his  girl  cut- 
ting him  like  that?  But  then  of  a  sudden  he 
shut  his  teeth  hard. 

"I'll  win  even  if  she  doesn't  care,"  he  told 
himself.  "I'll  not  do  it  for  her,  or  mysel^I'll 
do  it  for  the  honor  of  Brill!" 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

THE  GREAT  FOOTBALL  GAME 

IT  is  not  my  intention  to  give  all  the  particulars 
of  that  game  of  football  between  Brill  and  Rox- 
ley,  for  the  reason  that  I  have  many  other  things 
to  tell  about.  Yet  I  feel  that  I  must  tell  some- 
thing of  that  great  second  half,  which  nobody 
who  saw  it  will  ever  forget. 

In  the  first  half  Roxley  had  the  kick-off,  and 
they  played  such  a  fierce  whirlwind  game  that 
before  the  leather  had  been  on  the  gridiron  eight 
minutes  they  scored  a  touchdown.  Then  they 
made  another  touchdown,  and  just  before  thfc 
whistle  blew  for  the  end  of  the  first  half  one  of 
their  players  kicked  a  goal  from  the  field. 

And  Brill  scored  nothing. 

More  than  this,  the  playing  was  so  rough  that 
two  of  the  Brill  eleven  and  one  from  Roxley  hac. 
to  retire  from  the  field. 

Of  course  the  visitors  went  wild  with  joy,  and 
shouted  themselves  hoarse.  They  waved  their 
184 


THE  GREAT  FOOTBALL  GAME  185 

colors,  swung  their  rattles,  and  tooted  their 
horns  for  fully  five  minutes,  while  the  silence 
among  the  Brill  contingent  was  so  thick  it  could 
be  "cut  with  a  knife,"  as  Sam  afterward  ex- 
pressed it. 

"It's  all  over,"  murmured  Stanley  with  a  glum 
look  on  his  face.  "Their  eleven  this  year  are  too 
heavy  for  us." 

"We  can't  meet  them  in  mass  play,  that's 
certain,"  was  Dick's  comment.  "If  we  are  go- 
ing to  gain  anything  at  all  it  must  be  by  open 
work." 

"Tom  Rover  can  take  Felton's  place,"  came 
the  order  from  the  head  of  the  team,  and  Tom 
at  once  threw  off  the  blanket  he  had  been  using 
and  got  into  practice  with  another  new  man  and 
some  others. 

Dick  felt  sore,  physically  and  mentally.  He 
had  been  roughly  used  by  two  of  the  Roxley 
players,  and  had  made  a  fumble  at  a  critical  mo- 
ment. And  all  during  that  heartrending  first 
half  Dora  had  not  noticed  him  at  all! 

The  coach  did  some  plain  talking  to  the  play- 
ers while  in  the  dressing-room,  and  told  them 
of  where  he  thought  Roxley  might  be  weak — at 
the  left  end. 

"Don't  mass  unless  you  absolutely  have  to," 
were  his  words  of  caution.  "They  have  the 


.186  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

weight,  but  I  don't  think  they  have  the  wind. 
Keep  them  on  the  jump.  I  think  that  is  your 
only  chance." 

When  the  whistle  blew  for  the  second  half  the 
Brill  eleven  came  out  on  the  gridiron  with  a 
"do  or  die"  look  on  their  faces. 

"Now  pile  it  into  'em!"  cried  the  coach. 
"Don't  give  'em  time  to  think  about  it!" 

Whether  it  was  this  caution,  or  the  very  des- 
perateness  of  the  case,  it  would  be  hard  to  say, 
but  true  it  is  that  Brill  went  at  their  opponents 
"hammer  and  tongs"  from  the  very  start.  They 
avoided  all  wedge  work  and  confined  themselves 
as  much  as  possible  to  open  playing.  More  than 
this,  they  used  a  little  trick  Dick  had  once 
played  when  on  the  eleven  at  Putnam  Hall.  The 
ball  was  passed  from  right  to  left,  then  to  cen- 
ter, and  then  to  left  again,  and  then  carried 
around  the  end  for  a  gain  of  twenty-five  yards. 
Then  it  was  picked  up  again,  turned  back  and  to 
the  left  once  more,  and  forced  around  the  end 
for  twenty  yards  more. 

"That's  the  way  to  do  it!"  yelled  several  of 
the  Brill  supporters. 

"Over  with  it,  while  you've  got  the  chance!" 

The  ball  was  forced  back  by  sheer  weight  of 
Roxley,  but  only  for  five  yards.  Then  the  Brill 
quarter-back  got  it,  sent  it  over  to  Tom,  and  in 


"RUN,  DICK!  RUN—  RUN!"— Page  189. 

The  Rover  Boys  at  Colltgt. 


THE  GREAT  FOOTBALL  GAME  jg? 

a  twinkling  Tom  "nursed"  it  to  where  he  wanted 
it  and  kicked  a  goal  from  the  field. 

"Hurrah!  hurrah!  hurrah!" 

"That's  the  way  to  do  it!" 

"Now,  then,  for  another!" 

"By  the  great  Julius  Caesar!"  cried  Sam.  "Isn't 
that  fine?" 

"Oh,  it  was  grand !"  exclaimed  Nellie,  and  she 
waved  her  banner  directly  at  Tom,  and  he  waved 
his  hand  in  return.  Just  then  Nellie  felt  as  if 
she  could  go  and  hug  him. 

"It  certainly  was  fine,"  said  Grace,  "but  it's 
only  one  goal,  and  they  have  such  a  big  score," 
she  pouted. 

"Never  mind.  We  won't  be  whitewashed, 
anyway." 

"It's  a  pity  they  didn't  have  Tom  in  the  first 
half,"  said  Dora.  Although  her  heart  was 
strangely  sore,  she  nevertheless  felt  proud  of 
what  Tom  had  accomplished. 

Again  the  two  elevens  went  at  it,  and  now 
Roxley  tried  again  to  force  the  center  by  a  rush. 
But  to  their  surprise  Brill  shifted  to  the  left — 
that  one  weak  spot — and  got  the  ball  on  a  fum- 
ble by  the  Roxley  half-back.  There  was  more 
quick  action  by  four  of  the  Brill  players,  and 
when  the  scrimmage  came  to  an  end  the  leather 


188  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

was  found  just  three  yards  from  the  Roxley  goal 
line. 

And  then  came  that  awful  struggle,  where 
muscle  met  muscle  in  a  strain  that  was  truly  ter- 
rific. Roxley  was  heavier,  but  its  wind  was  go« 
ing  fast.  Brill  held  at  first,  then  went  ahead— 
an  inch — a  foot — a  yard. 

"Hold  'em!  Hold  'em!"  was  the  Roxley  cry. 
But  it  was  not  to  be.  The  yard  became  two, 
and  then  the  leather  went  over  with  a  rush. 

"A  touchdown!    A  touchdown  for  Brill!" 

"Now  make  it  a  goal!"  was  the  cry,  and  a  goal 
it  became,  the  Brill  quarter-back  doing  the  kick- 
ing. 

From  that  moment  on  the  battle  waged  with 
a  fury  seldom  seen  on  any  gridiron.  Brill,  from 
almost  certain  defeat,  commenced  to  scent  a  vic- 
tory, and  went  into  the  play  regardless  of  physi- 
cal consequences.  Tom  had  his  thumb  wrenched 
and  Dick  had  his  ankle  skinned,  but  neither  gave 
heed  to  the  hurts.  Indeed,  they  never  noticed 
them  until  the  game  was  at  an  end. 

And  then  came  Dick's  hour  of  triumph.  How 
he  got  the  ball  from  the  burly  Roxley  right 
guard  nobody  could  exactly  tell  afterward,  but 
get  the  ball  he  did,  and  rounded  two  rival  play- 
ers before  they  knew  what  was  up.  Then  down 
the  field  he  sped,  with  his  enemies  yelling  like 


THE  GREAT  FOOTBALL  GAME  189 

demons  behind  him,  and  his  friends  on  the 
benches  encouraging  him  to  go  on.  He  saw 
nothing  and  heard  nothing  until  on  the  grand- 
stand he  perceived  a  slender  girlish  form  arise, 
wave  a  banner,  and  fairly  scream: 

"Dick!  Dick!    Run!  run!  run!" 

"It's  Dora,"  he  thought.  "Dora  sees  me!  She 
wants  me  to  win!" 

It  was  the  last  bit  of  inspiration  he  needed, 
and  as  a  Roxley  full-back  came  thundering  up 
to  him  he  threw  the  fellow  headlong.  Then 
straight  as  an  arrow  from  a  bow  he  rushed  for 
the  goal  line,  crossed  it,  and  sank  limply  down 
in  front  of  the  grandstand. 

"Hurrah  for  Dick  Rover!" 

"Say,  wasn't  that  a  dandy  run?" 

"Those  brothers  can  certainly  play!" 

"It's  Brill's  game  now!  Roxley  is  going  to 
pieces!" 

Amid  a  great  din  the  leather  was  taken  down 
into  the  field  and  the  goal  was  kicked. 

"Want  to  get  out  of  the  game?"  Dick  was 
asked  as  he  came  down,  breathing  heavily. 

"No,  not  unless  I'm  put  out,"  was  the  gritty 
answer. 

"You'll  not  be  put  out.  That  was  the  finest 
run  ever  made  on  this  field." 

What  had  been  said  about  Roxley  going  to 


190 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 


pieces  was,  in  part,  true.  Several  shifts  were 
made  in  the  players,  but  this  did  not  aid  the 
eleven.  With  twelve  minutes  more  to  play,  Brill 
kept  up  its  winning  streak,  and  secured  another 
touchdown  and  goal  and  then  a  safety.  When 
the  whistle  finally  blew  the  ball  was  well  in  Rox- 
ley's  territory. 

"Brill  wins'!" 

"Say,  wasn't  that  a  great  game?  All  Roxley 
the  first  half  and  all  Brill  the  second." 

"Talk  about  a  team  pulling  itself  together! 
I  never  saw  anything  like  what  Brill  did  in  the 
second  half." 

"Nor  I." 

"Those  two  Rover  boys  are  wonders." 

So  the  talk  ran  on.  Of  course,  Roxley  was 
keenly  disappointed,  but  it  tried  not  to  show  it, 
and  sang  songs  and  cheered  its  opponents.  And 
Brill  cheered  the  enemy,  as  is  the  custom. 

Tom  and  Dick  were  surrounded  by  a  host  of 
friends,  and  had  to  shake  hands  over  and  over 
again,  and  had  to  have  their  hurts  washed  and 
bound  up.  Both  wanted  to  get  to  where  Sam 
and  the  girls  had  been  left,  but  this  was  impos- 
sible for  quite  a  while,  and  then,  much  to  their 
surprise,  they  found  their  brother  and  the  others 
had  gone,  and  Minnie  Sanderson  had  departed 
also. 


THE  GREAT  FOOTBALL  GAME  igi 

"Wonder  where  they  went  to?"  questioned 
Tom.  "I  told  Sam  we'd  be  along  as  soon  as 
possible." 

To  this  Dick  did  not  answer.  He  was  think- 
ing deeply.  Was  Dora  still  angry,  in  spite  of 
how  she  had  cheered  him? 

"There  they  are!"  cried  Tom  a  few  minutes 
later,  as  he  and  Dick  walked  toward  the  river. 
He  had  seen  Nellie  and  Grace  on  a  bench  in 
the  sun,  surrounded  by  a  number  of  other  vis- 
itors. He  hurried  up  to  them,  his  brother  fol- 
lowing more  slowly.  "Where  are  Dora  and 
Sam?"  he  questioned,  looking  around. 

"Dora  asked  to  go  back  to  the  seminary,"  an- 
swered Nellie,  and  looked  sharply  at  Dick. 

"To  the  seminary?"  repeated  Tom  in  wonder. 
"Why,  how's  that?" 

"She  said  she  had  a — headache." 

"Is  that  so?  That's  too  bad!  Why  didn't 
she  wait  for  Dick  to  take  her  over?" 

"I — I  don't  know,  Tom."  Nellie  lowered  her 
voice,  so  Dick  might  not  hear.  "Something  is 
wrong  between  them.  I  don't  know  what  it 
is." 

"Wrong?  Why,  how  can  that  be?  I  didn't 
hear  of  anything,"  Tom  now  spoke  in  a  whis- 
per. 

"Well,  I  am  sure  something  is  wrong.    Thejr 


192  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

acted  queer  when  Dick  came  to  the  grandstand 
before  the  game  commenced.  Dora's  heart  was 
not  in  the  game  at  all.  She  was  ready  to  go 
before  it  was  over." 

"By  the  way,  Tom,  who  was  that  other  girl?" 
asked  Grace  pointedly. 

"What  other  girl?" 

"The  girl  Dick  was  talking  to  here  on  the 
grandstand." 

"Oh,  that  was  the  farmer's  daughter  we 
helped  when  we  first  came  to  Ashton.  Her  name 
is  Minnie  Sanderson.  We  told  you  about  her." 

"She  seems  to  think  a  good  deal  of  Dick,"  was 
Nellie's  comment. 

"Why,  you  don't  mean "  Tom  looked 

around,  expecting  to  see  Dick  close  by.  "Hello! 
Where  did  he  go?"  he  cried. 

"Dick  is  walking  back  to  the  college,"  said 
Grace. 

"Hi,  Dick!"  called  out  Tom  to  his  brother. 
"Where  are  you  going?" 

"Up  to  my  room,"  answered  Dick. 

"Yes,  but  see  here " 

"Can't  see  now.  I'll  see  you  later,"  answered 
Dick.  He  waved  his  cap  and  bowed.  "Good- 
by,  Nellie!  Good-by,  Grace!"  And  then  he 
turned  on  his  heel  and  continued  on  his  wav  to 
the  dormitory  building. 


THE  GREAT  FOOTBALL  GAME 


193 


"Well,  if  this  doesn't  beat  the  Chinese's"  mur- 
mured Tom. 

"He  must  be  very  angry  over  something," 
murmured  Nellie. 

"I  think  he  might  have  come  and  shook  hands 
when  he  said  good-by,"  said  Grace  with  a  pout. 

"I  think  so  myself,"  answered  Tom.  "Say, 
do  you  think  it's  that  girl?"  he  went  on,  in  his 
usual  blunt  fashion. 

"It  must  be,"  answered  Nellie,  who  was  equal- 
ly frank  on  all  occasions.  "I  don't  know  what 
else  it  could  be." 

"But  Dick  hasn't  done  anything.  I  am  sure 
of  it.  Why,  I  don't  think  he  has  seen  her  since 
we  stopped  at  her  home  that  time." 

"Well,  he  seemed  very  attentive  to  her  here 
in  the  stand,"  said  Grace,  "and  if  you'll  remem- 
ber, he  didn't  meet  us  when  we  arrived.  I  am 
sure  Dora  looked  for  him." 

Tom  gave  a  long  sigh  and  shrugged  his  shoul- 
ders. 

"This  takes  the  edge  off  the  victory,"  he  mur- 
mured. "I  thought  the  six  of  us  would  have  a 
jolly  time  for  the  rest  of  the  day." 

"It  certainly  is  too  bad,"  answered  Nellie. 
"But  I  don't  think  Dora  is  to  blame." 

"Oh,  of  course  a  girl  will  stick  up  for  another 


194 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 


girl,"  retorted  Tom,  bound  to  say  something 
in  his  brother's  defense. 

"Tom  Rover!"  cried  Nellie,  and  then  she 
showed  that  she  was  displeased. 

It  was  quite  a  while  before  Sam  came  back 
from  seeing  Dora  to  the  seminary.  He,  too, 
thought  Dora  was  more  to  blame  than  Dick, 
and  this  did  not  altogether  please  Grace.  As  a 
consequence  there  was  a  coldness  all  around,  and 
the  rest  of  the  afternoon  dragged  most  woefully. 
Dick  did  not  return,  and  at  last  Sam  and  Tom 
saw  the  Laning  girls  back  to  their  school. 

"A  pretty  mess  of  fish!"  muttered  Sam  on  re- 
turning to  Brill. 

"Yes;  and  where  is  it  going  to  end?"  asked 
Tom  dolefully.  It  was  the  first  time  there  had 
been  such  cold  feelings  all  around. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

MORE    COMPLICATIONS 

THE  football  eleven  celebrated  the  victory  that 
evening  by  bonfires  and  by  something  of  a  feast. 
Of  course  Tom  and  Dick  were  present,  as  were 
also  Sam  and  a  host  of  others,  but  it  must  be 
confessed  that  the  Rovers  did  not  enjoy  them- 
selves. 

"See  here,  Dick,"  said  Tom  after  the  festivi- 
ties were  over,  "what  is  this  trouble  between  you 
and  Dora?" 

"Don't  ask  me,  ask  her,"  returned  Dick  short- 
ly. "She  knows  more  about  it  than  I  do." 

"She  won't  say  a  word,"  came  from  Sam. 
"She  said  she  didn't  feel  well,  that's  all;  and  I 
know  that  wasn't  true  altogether." 

"Was  it  that  Minnie  Sanderson?"  went  on 
Tom. 

"If  it  was,  it  wasn't  my  fault,"  answered  Dick. 

"But  what  did  you  do?"  insisted  Tom.  He 
was  bound  to  get  at  the  bottom  of  the  affair. 


196  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

Thereupon  Dick  was  compelled  to  relate  all 
that  had  happened,  which,  in  truth,  was  no* 
much. 

"And  is  that  all?"  asked  Sam. 

"Yes." 

"I  don't  see  why  she  should  be  put  out  over 
that,"  said  Tom  slowly.  "But  then  girls  are 
queer.  The  more  you  know  them  the  less  you 
understand  them." 

"Grace  and  Nellie  take  Dora's  part,"  said  Sam 
with  a  deep  sigh.  "It  has  put  us  all  somewhat 
on  the  outs." 

"I  am  sorry  to  hear  that,"  answered  Dick,  and 
his  tone  of  voice  showed  that  he  was  sincere. 
"But  I  don't  know  what  I  can  do,"  he  added 
helplessly.  "I  don't  want  to  be  on  the  outs  with 
anybody,  but  if  Dora  is  bound  to  turn  the  cold 
shoulder  to  me "  He  did  not  finish. 

Following  the  game  with  Roxley,  Brill  played 
two  other  games  with  a  college  from  Delton  and 
another  from  Speer.  The  game  with  the  latter 
college  resulted  in  a  tie,  but  Delton  was  beaten 
by  Brill  by  a  score  of  16  to  10.  Tom  and  Dick 
played  in  both  games,  and  won  considerable 
credit  for  their  work. 

During  these  days  the  boys  did  not  see  the 
girls,  nor  did  they  hear  from  them.  Thanksgiv- 
ing was  passed  at  Brill,  only  a  few  of  the  students 


MORE  COMPLICATIONS 


197 


going  home.  Among  the  number  to  leave  were 
Dudd  Flockley  and"  Jerry  Koswell,  and  they  did 
not  return  until  a  week  later. 

The  dude  and  his  crony,  as  well  as  Larkspur, 
were  still  down  upon  the  Rovers,  but  for  the 
present  they  kept  quiet,  the  reason  being  that 
they  were  behind  in  their  lessons  and  had  to 
work  hard  to  make  up.  But  all  were  watching 
their  chances  to  do  the  Rover  boys  some  injury 
on  the  quiet. 

Dick,  Tom  and  Sam  got  along  well  in  their 
studies.  The  only  trouble  they  had  in  the  class- 
room was  with  Professor  Sharp,  who  made  them 
"toe  the  mark"  upon  every  occasion.  But  they 
took  good  care  to  obey  the  rules,  so  the  irascible 
teacher  got  no  chance  to  lecture  or  punish  them. 

The  boys  got  a  number  of  letters  from  home, 
and  these  brought  news  that  the  law  case  Tad 
Sobber  had  instituted  against  the  Stanhopes  and 
the  Lanings  was  being  pushed  vigorously.  Mr. 
Rover  wrote  that  he  felt  certain  the  shyster  law- 
yer Sobber  had  on  the  case  was  going  to  present 
a  great  mass  of  "evidence,"  no  doubt  manufac- 
tured for  the  occasion. 

"It's  a  shame!''  cried  Tom  after  hearing  this. 
"Such  a  lawyer  ought  to  be  in  prison!" 

"The  thing  of  it  is  to  prove  he  is  doing  some- 
thing wrong,"  answered  Dick.  "It  is  one  thing 


198  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

to  know  the  truth  and  quite  another  to  prove  it 
in  court." 

"If  the  case  should  be  lost  the  Lanings  will 
be  poorer  than  ever,"  said  Sam. 

"That  is  true,  Sam.  I  wish  we  could  do  some- 
thing, but  I  am  afraid  we  can't." 

Fate  seemed  bound  to  make  matters  worse  for 
the  Rover  boys.  On  a  clear,  cold  Saturday  aft- 
ernoon in  December  the  three  brothers  and 
Songbird  went  out  to  look  for  nuts  in  the  woods 
near  Ashton.  They  had  heard  that  the  semi- 
nary girls  occasionally  visited  the  woods  for  that 
purpose,  and  each  was  secretly  hoping  to  run 
across  Dora  and  the  Lanings. 

It  did  not  take  the  boys  long  to  reach  the 
woods,  and  they  soon  found  a  spot  where  hick- 
ory nuts  were  plentiful.  They  had  brought  some 
bags  along,  and  were  soon  hard  at  work  gather- 
ing the  nuts. 

While  thus  occupied  they  heard  a  number  of 
girls  coming  along.  At  first  they  fancied  the 
newcomers  might  be  from  the  seminary,  but 
soon  saw  that  they  were  natives  of  the  place. 
They  were  five  in  number,  and  among  them  was 
Minnie  Sanderson. 

"Why,  how  do  you  do?"  said  Minnie,  coming 
up  with  a  smile  on  her  face.  "How  strange  to 
meet  out  here!"  And  then  she  shook  hands 


MORE  COMPLICATIONS  199 

with  each  of  the  Rovers,  and  speedily  introduced 
her  friends,  and  the  Rovers  introduced  Songbird. 

Minnie  was  neatly  attired  in  a  brown  dress, 
with  a  brown  hat  to  match,  and  while  she  did 
not  look  anyway  "stunning,"  she  made  an  at- 
tractive appearance.  Her  friends,  too,  were 
pretty,  and  well  dressed,  and  all  were  very  jolly. 

"It's  a  nice  bunch,  all  right,"  murmured  Tom 
to  Sam.  "I  like  their  open-hearted  way  of  talk- 
ing." 

"So  do  I,"  answered  the  youngest  Rover. 

The  girls  joined  the  boys  in  gathering  nuts, 
and  so  spent  an  enjoyable  hour  roaming  through 
the  woods.  Often  the  Rovers  and  Songbird 
would  knock  down  the  nuts  with  sticks  and 
stones  and  leave  the  girls  to  gather  what  they 
wanted. 

"We  like  to  have  a  large  quantity  of  nuts  on 
hand  for  the  winter,"  said  Minnie  to  Dick. 
"Then,  when  there  is  a  deep  snow  on  the  ground 
we  can  sit  before  the  blazing  fire  and  crack  nuts 
and  eat  them.  You  must  come  over  some  time 
this  winter  and  help,"  she  added. 

"Perhaps  I  will,"  murmured  Dick.  He  had 
to  admit  to  himself  that  Minnie  was  very  cordial 
and  that  she  was  by  no  means  bad  looking.  He 
did  not  wonder  why  Flockley  and  Koswell  were 
so  anxious  to  call  upon  her. 


200  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

Roaming  through  the  woods  caused  Songbird 
to  become  poetic,  and  while  they  rested  in  the 
sunshine,  and  picked  some  of  the  nuts  that  Tom 
and  Sam  had  cracked,  he  recited  some  verse? 
composed  on  the  spur  of  the  moment: 

"Hark  to  the  silence  all  around! 
The  well-trained  ear  doth  hear  no  sound 
The  birds  are  silent  in  their  nest, 
All  tired  Nature  is  at  rest. 
The  brook  in  silence  finds  its  way 
From  shadows  deep  to  perfect  day. 
The  wind  is  dead,  there  is  no  breeze " 

"To  make  a  fellow  cough  and  sneeze!" 

murmured  Tom,  and  gave  a  loud  ker-chew!  that 
set  all  the  girls  to  laughing. 

"That  isn't  right!"  declared  Songbird  half  an- 
grily. "There  is  no  sneeze  in  this  poem." 

"Oh,  excuse  me.  I  only  thought  I'd  help  you 
out,"  answered  Tom  soberly.  And  then  the 
would-be  poet  continued: 

"The  wind  is  dead,  there  is  no  breeze 
To  stir  the  bushes  or  the  trees. 
Full  well  I  know,  as  here  I  stand, 
That  Solitude  commands  the  land !" 

"Good!  Fine!  Immense!  Great !"  cried  Sam 
enthusiastically.  "Hurrah  for  Solitude!" 

"Why,  Mr.  Powell,  you  are  a  real  poet,"  said 


MORE  COMPLICATIONS  20 1 

one  of  the  girls  gravely.  And  this  pleased  Song- 
bird greatly. 

"You'll  have  to  write  in  my  autograph  al- 
bum," said  another,  and  the  would-be  poet  read- 
ily consented.  Later  he  inscribed  a  poem  in  the 
book  three  pages  long. 

At  last  it  came  time  to  leave  the  woods,  and 
the  boys  walked  with  the  girls  toward  the  road. 
As  they  did  this  they  heard  the  sound  of  wheels. 

"Must  be  a  carriage  coming,"  said  Dick,  and 
stepped  into  the  roadway  to  see,  followed  by  the 
others  in  the  party.  A  few  seconds  later  a  turn- 
out rumbled  into  sight.  It  was  the  Hope  Semi- 
nary carryall,  and  it  contained  half  a  dozen  girls, 
including  Dora,  Nellie  and  Grace. 

"Hello!  Look  there!"  cried  Tom,  and  raised 
his  cap,  and  the  other  boys  did  the  same.  Dora 
and  her  cousins  looked  at  the  crowd,  and  their 
faces  flushed.  They  bowed  rather  stiffly,  and 
then  the  carryall  bowled  on  its  way. 

"Why,  those  are  your  friends!"  cried  Minnie, 
turning  to  the  Rovers.  "Don't  you  want  to 
speak  to  them?" 

"It's  too  late  now,"  answered  Dick.  He  had 
a  curious  sinking  sensation  in  his  heart  that  he 
could  not  explain.  He  looked  at  his  brothers, 
and  saw  that  they,  too,  were  out  of  sorts. 

The  passing  of  the  carryall  put  a  damper  on 


202  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

matters,  and  the  girls  felt  it.  They  talked  with 
the  Rovers  and  Songbird  a  few  minutes  longer 
and  then  turned  in  one  direction  while  the  Brill 
students  turned  in  another. 

"Fine  lot  of  girls,"  was  Songbird's  comment. 
"Very  nice,  indeed.  And  they  know  how  to  ap- 
preciate poetry,  too,"  he  added  with  satisfaction. 

"Oh,  yes,  they  are  all  right,"  answered  Dick 
carelessly.  Somehow,  he  was  now  sorry  he  had 
gone  to  the  woods  after  nuts. 

"I  am  going  to  call  on  all  of  them  some  time,'* 
went  on  Songbird.  "That  Minnie  Sanderson 
told  me  she  plays  the  piano,  and  sings.  I  am 
going  to  get  her  to  sing  a  new  song.  I  am  writ- 
ing. It  goes  like  this " 

"Excuse  me,  Songbird;  not  now,"  said  Dick. 
"I  want  to  do  an  extra  lesson."  And  he  hurried 
off,  while  Sam  and  Tom  did  the  same. 

Two  hours  later  Dick  ran  into  William  Phi- 
lander Tubbs,  who  had  been  down  to  town  in 
company  with  Stanley. 

"Had  a  lovely  time,  don't  you  know,"  drawled 
William  Philander.  "While  Stanley  posted  some 
letters  and  addressed  some  picture  postals  I  did 
up  the  shops.  And  what  do  you  think?  I  found 
a  beautiful  new  maroon  necktie,  and  it  was  only 
a  dollar — same  kind  they  would  charge  one  sev- 
enty-five for  in  the  big  cities.  And  I  saw  a  new 


MORE  COMPLICATIONS 


203 


style  of  collar,  and  some  patent-leather  pumps 
that  have  bows  with  loose  ends,  and " 

"Some  other  time,  Billy,"  interrupted  Dick. 
"I'm  in  a  hurry  now." 

"Oh,  I'm  sorry.  But,  Dick,  one  other  thing. 
I  met  Miss  Stanhope  and  her  cousins." 

"You  did?"  And  now  Dick  was  willing  to 
listen.  "Where?" 

"At  one  of  the  stores.  They  were  doing  some 
buying,  in  company  with  those  chaps  you  don't 
like." 

"The  chaps  I  don't  like!  You  don't  mean '* 

Dick  paused  in  wonder. 

"I  mean  that  Flockley  chap  and  his  chums,. 
Koswell  and  Larkspur." 

"Were  Miss  Stanhope  and  the  Misses  Laning 
with  those  fellows?"  demanded  the  elder  Rover. 

"They  seemed  to  be.  They  were  buying  fruit 
and  candy,  and  I  think  Flockley  treated  to  hot 
chocolate.  The  girls  seemed  glad  enough  to  see 
me,  but  I — ah — didn't  want  to — ah — break  in, 
you  know,  so  I  came  away." 

"Where  did  they  go  after  having  the  choco- 
late and  candy?" 

"I  don't  know.  I  didn't  see  them  after  that." 
And  there  the  talk  came  to  an  end,  for  several 
other  students  appeared.  Dick  walked  off  in  a 
thoughtful  mood. 


204  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"Deeper  and  deeper!"  he  told  himself,  with 
something  like  a  groan.  Then  he  hunted  up 
Sam  and  Tom. 

"Going  with  Flockley  and  that  crowd!"  cried 
Tom.  "Not  much!  I  won't  have  it!"  And  he 
commenced  to  pace  the  floor. 

"What  are  you  going  "to  do  about  it?"  asked 
Sam. 

"Call  on  the  girls  and  talk  it  over — and  you 
and  Dick  are  going  with  me." 

"I'll  not  go,"  declared  Dick. 

"Neither  will  I,"  added  Sam. 

"Yes,  you  shall — and  to-night,"  said  Tom 
firmly. 


CHAPTER  XX 

DAYS    OF    WAITING 

EIGHT  o'clock  that  evening  saw  the  three 
Rovers  on  their  way  to  Hope  Seminary.  Tom 
was  the  leader,  and  it  had  taken  a  good  half 
hour's  arguing  on  his  part  to  get  Dick  and  Sam 
to  accompany  him. 

"You'll  make  a  fool  of  yourself,  and  make 
fools  of  us,  too,"  was  the  way  Sam  expressed 
himself. 

"Most  likely  they  won't  want  to  see  us,"  was 
Dick's  opinion. 

"If  they  don't  want  to  see  us,  really  and  truly, 
I  want  to  know  it,"  answered  Tom  bluntly.  "I 
don't  believe  in  this  dodging  around  the  bush. 
There  is  no  sense  in  it."  It  had  angered  him  to 
think  Nellie  had  been  seen  in  the  company  of 
Flockley  and  his  cronies,  and  he  was  for  "having 
it  out"  without  delay. 

"Well,  you'll  have  to  lead  the  way,"  said  Dick. 
"I'm  not  going  to  make  a  call  and  have  Dora 
send  down  word  that  she  can't  see  me." 
205 


206  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"She  won't  do  that,"  said  Tom.  "I  know  her 
too  well." 

"Well,  you  call  on  Nellie  first." 

"I'm  not  afraid,"  retorted  Tom.  He  was  so 
"worked  up"  he  was  willing  to  do  almost  any- 
thing1. 

The  nearer  the  three  students  got  to  the  semi- 
nary the  slower  they  walked.  Even  Tom  began 
to  realize  that  he  had  undertaken  what  might 
prove  a  very  delicate  mission. 

"I  think  it  would  have  been  better  to  have 
sent  a  letter,"  suggested  Sam.  "Let's  go  back 
and  write  it  before  we  go  to  bed." 

"And  put  down  something  in  black  and  white 
that  you'd  be  sorry  for  afterward,"  grumbled 
Dick. 

At  the  entrance  to  the  seminary  grounds  they 
halted  again,  but  then  Tom  caught  each  brother  \ 
by  the  arm  and  marched  them  up  to  the  front  . 
door  and  rang  the  bell. 

A  maid  answered  their  summons  and  led  them 
to  a  reception-room.  A  minute  later  one  of  the 
teachers  appeared. 

"Why,  I  thought  you  young  gentlemen  knew 
the  young  ladies  had  gone  away,"  said  the  teach- 
er after  they  had  mentioned  the  object  of  their 
visit.  "They  said  they  were  going  to  send  you 
a  note." 


DAYS  OF  WAITING  207 

"Gone  away!"  echoed  Dick. 

"Yes.  The  three  left  for  home  on  the  late 
afternoon  train.  Mrs.  Stanhope  and  Mrs.  Lan- 
ing  said  it  was  a  matter  of  business.  Then  you 
didn't  get  their  note?" 

"We  did  not,"  answered  Tom. 

"That  is  too  bad.  I  am  sure  they  spoke  of 
sending  it.  Wait,  I  will  ask  Parks,  our  messen- 
ger, about  it." 

The  teacher  left  the  room,  and  the  Rover  boys 
looked  speculatively  at  each  other. 

"They  must  have  been  getting  ready  to  leave 
when  Tubbs  saw  them,"  said  Dick. 

"And  we  never  knew  they  were  going,"  added 
Sam  bitterly. 

"The  matter  of  business  must  refer  to  that 
Sobber  case,"  said  Tom.  "I  don't  know  what 
else  could  take  them  home." 

"Maybe  they  have  lost  the  case  and  must  give 
the  treasure  up,"  said  Sam.  "In  that  case,  Mr. 
Laning  would  have  to  take  the  girls  away  from 
such  an  expensive  place  as  this." 

In  a  few  minutes  the  lady  teacher  came  back. 

"Parks  says  he  took  three  notes,  addressed  to 
Richard,  Thomas  and  Samuel  Rover.  He  says 
he  went  over  to  Brill  this  morning  with  them 
and  gave  them  to  a  man  named  Filbury." 

"Filbury,  eh?"  said  Dick,  naming  an  old  man 


208  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

who  worked  around  the  dormitories.  "Well,  we 
didn't  get  them,  and  I  am  very  sorry." 

"So  am  I,  Mr.  Rover,"  said  the  teacher. 

"Do  you  know  how  long  the  young  ladies  will 
be  gone?" 

"They  could  not  tell.  They  said  they  would 
send  letters  after  they  arrived  home." 

This  was  all  the  seminary  teacher  could  tell, 
and  a  minute  later  the  Rovers  said  good  night 
and  left.  All  hurried  from  the  grounds  in  deep 
thought. 

"We  must  find  Filbury  and  see  what  he  did 
with  those  letters,"  said  Tom,  and  his  brothers 
agreed  with  him. 

When  they  reached  Brill  they  located  the  man 
they  were  after  fixing  a  light  in  one  of  the  halls. 

"Where  are  those  letters  you  got  for  us  this 
morning,  Filbury?"  asked  Dick  sternly. 

"Letters?"  asked  the  old  man,  who  was  rather 
absent  minded.  "I  don't  remember  no  letters, 
Mr.  Rover." 

"I  mean  the  three  letters  which  Parks  of  Hope 
Seminar)7'  gave  you  for  me  and  my  brothers." 

"Oh,  them.  I  remember  now.  Let  me  see. 
Yes,  I  got  them,  and  one  for  Mr.  Flockley,  too. 
I  gave  him  all  the  letters.  He  said  he'd  hand 
'em  to  you."  And  apparently  satisfied,  Filbury 
resumed  his  work  on  the  light. 


DAYS  OF  WAITING 


209 


"When  was  this?"  demanded  Sam. 

"About  eleven  o'clock.  I  hope  it's  all  right. 
I  would  have  delivered  the  letters  myself,  only 
I  had  a  lot  of  work  to  do." 

"It  is  not  all  right,  and  we  are  going  to  look 
into  the  matter  at  once,"  said  Dick,  and  hurried 
off  with  Tom  and  Sam  at  his  heels.  They  went 
straight  to  the  room  occupied  by  Flockley  and 
Koswell,  and  knocked  on  the  door.  There  was 
a  stir  within,  a  few  whispered  words,  and  then 
the  door  was  opened. 

"What  do  you  want?"  asked  Jerry  Koswell. 
Flockley  was  sitting  by  the  table,  reading. 

"Flockley,  what  did  you  do  with  those  letters 
you  got  from  Filbury  for  us?"  demanded  Dick, 
striding  into  the  room. 

"Letters?"  asked  the  dude  carelessly.  "Oh, 
I  put  them  on  the  table  in  Torn  and  Sam's 
room." 

"When?" 

"This  morning." 

"They  weren't  there  after  dinner,"  said  Sam. 

"Nor  after  supper,  either,"  added  Tom. 

"Look  here,  do  you  accuse  me  of  stealing  your 
tetters?"  demanded  Flockley,  rising  as  if  in  an- 
ger. 

"No;  but  we  want  to  know  where  they  are," 
answered  Tom. 


THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"I  told  you  what  I  did  with  them.  I  wouldn't 
liave  touched  the  letters,  only  Filbury  asked  me 
to  do  the  favor.  If  they  are  not  on  the  table 
maybe  the  wind  swept  them  to  the  floor.  Did 
you  look?" 

"No." 

"Then  you  had  better." 

"You  might  have  spoken  about  them,  Flock- 
ley,"  said  Dick  coldly.  "Any  other  student 
would  have  done  so." 

"Or  you  could  have  handed  us  the  letters  at 
lunch,"  added  Sam. 

"I  am  not  your  hired  man!"  cried  Dudd 
Flockley.  "Next  time  I'll  not  touch  the  letters 
at  all!"  And  then  he  dropped  back  into  his 
chair  and  pretended  to  read  again. 

"If  we  don't  find  the  letters  you'll  hear  from 
us  again,"  said  Dick.  And  then  he  and  his 
brothers  retired. 

They  entered  the  room  occupied  by  Sam  and 
Tom  and  lit  up.  The  notes  were  not  on  the 
table. 

"Here  they  are!"  cried  Sam,  and  picked  them 
up  from  the  floor,  under  the  edge  of  Tom's  bed. 
They  looked  rather  mussed  up,  and  all  of  the 
Rovers  wondered  if  Flockley  had  opened  and 
read  them. 

"I  don't  think  he'd  be  any  too  good  to  do  it," 


DAYS  OF   WAITING  211 

muttered  Tom  as  he  opened  the  note  addressed 
to  himself. 

It  was  from  Nellie,  and  rather  cool  in  tone. 
It  said  all  were  called  home  on  account  of  the 
case  at  court,  but  did  not  give  any  particulars. 
At  the  bottom  was  mentioned  the  time  of  de- 
parture from  Hope  and  also  from  Ashton.  The 
notes  from  Dora  and  Grace  contained  about  the 
same  information,  and  Grace  added  that  she 
wanted  Sam  to  write  to  her. 

"If  we  had  had  these  letters  this  afternoon  we 
might  have  gone  to  Hope  instead  of  nutting," 
said  Tom  bitterly. 

"They  must  have  expected  to  see  us,  either 
there  or  at  the  depot,"  said  Sam.  "Otherwise 
they  wouldn't  have  been  so  particular  about 
mentioning  the  time  of  departure  from  both 
places." 

"Yes,  I  guess  they  expected  to  see  us,  or  hear 
from  us,"  said  Dick,  and  breathed  a  deep  sigh. 

"Well,  they  did  see  us — when  we  were  with 
Miss  Sanderson  and  her  friends." 

"What  must  they  have  thought — if  they  im- 
agined we  had  received  the  letters?"  groaned 
Tom. 

"They  thought  we  cut  'em  dead,"  replied  Sam. 
"Isn't  this  the  worst  ever?  And  all  on  Flock- 
ley's  account!  I'd  like  to  punch  his  nose!" 


212  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"I'd  like  to  be  sure  of  one  thing,"  said  Dick, 
a  hard  tone  stealing  into  his  voice.  "Did  Flock- 
ley  just  happen  to  be  in  Ashton  when  the  girls 
got  there,  or  did  he  open  and  read  these  letters 
and  then  go  on  purpose,  with  Koswell  and  Lark- 
spur?" 

''Say,  that's  something  to  think  about!"  cried 
Tom.  "If  he  opened  the  letters  I'd  like  to  make 
him  confess." 

"Well,  one  thing  is  certain,"  said  Dick  after 
the  matter  had  been  talked  over  for  a  while, 
"we  missed  a  splendid  chance  to  talk  matters 
over  with  the  girls.  It  is  too  bad!"  And  his 
face  showed  his  concern. 

"And  you  didn't  even  want  to  go  to  Hope 
with  me,"  commented  Tom,  with  a  humor  he 
could  not  repress. 

"Wish  we  had  gone  yesterday,"  answered  Sam 
bluntly.  He  could  read  "between  the  lines"  of 
the  note  he  had  received,  and  knew  that  Grace 
wanted  to  see  him  just  as  much  as  he  wanted 
to  see  her. 

Sam  said  he  was  going  to  write  a  letter  that 
night,  and  finally  Tom  and  Dick  agreed  to  do 
the  same. 

"But  I  shan't  write  much,"  said  Dick.  "I  am 
not  going  to  put  my  foot  in  it."  Nevertheless 


213 

he  wrote  a  letter  of  four  pages,  and  then  added 
a  postscript  of  two  pages  more.  And  the  com- 
munications Sam  and  Tom  penned  were  equally 
long. 

"We'll  not  trust  'em  to  the  college  mail,"  said 
Tom.  "We  can  take  'em  to  the  post-office  when 
we  go  to  church  to-morrow."  And  this  was 
done. 

After  the  letters  were  posted  the  brothers 
waited  anxiously  for  replies,  and  in  the  mean- 
time buckled  down  once  more  to  their  studies. 
It  was  now  well  along  in  December,  and  one 
morning  they  awoke  to  find  the  ground  covered 
with  snow. 

"Snowballing  to-day!"  said  Tom  with  a  touch 
of  cheerfulness,  and  he  was  right.  That  day, 
after  class  hours,  the  students  snowballed  each 
other  with  a  will.  The  freshmen  and  the  sopho- 
mores had  a  regular  pitched  battle,  which  lasted 
the  best  part  of  an  hour.  All  of  the  Rovers 
took  part  in  the  contest,  and  it  served  to  make 
them  more  cheerful  than  they  had  been  for  some 
time. 

"What's  the  good  of  moping?"  said  Tom. 
"We  are  bound  to  hear  from  the  girls  sooner 
or  later."  Yet,  as  day  after  day  went  by,  and 
no  letters  came,  he  felt  as  downcast  as  did  his 
brothers. 


2I4  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

The  boys  were  to  go  home  for  the  Christmas 
holidays,  and  under  ordinary  circumstances  they 
would  have  felt  gay  over  the  prospect.  But  now 
it  was  different. 

"Going  to  send  Dora  a  Christmas  present?" 
asked  Tom  of  Dick,  a  few  days  before  the  close 
of  the  term. 

"I  don't  know.  Are  you  going  to  send  any- 
thing to  Nellie?" 

"Yes,  if  you  send  something  to  Dora." 

"Sam  says  he  is  going  to  send  Grace  a  writing 
outfit  and  a  book  of  postage  stamps,"  went  on 
Dick. 

"That's  what  they  all  need,"  growled  Tom. 
"It's  a  shame!  They  might  at  least  have  ac- 
knowledged our  letters." 

The  boys  did  not  know  what  to  do.  Suppos* 
ing  they  sent  presents  to  the  girls,  and  got  them 
back?  They  held  a  meeting  in  Dick's  room  and 
asked  Songbird's  advice. 

"Send  them  the  nicest  things  you  can  buy," 
said  the  would-be  poet.  "I  am  going  to  send 
a  young  lady  a  gift — a  beautiful  autograph  al- 
bum, with  a  new  poem  of  mine,  sixteen  verses* 
in  length.  It's  on  'The  Clasp  of  a  Friendly 
Hand.'  I  got  the  inspiration  once  when  I — -er — 
But  never  mind  that.  It's  a  dandy  poem." 


DAYS  OF  WAITING  215 

"Who  is  the  album  to  go  to?"  asked  Tom  in- 
differently. 

"Why — er — Minnie    Sanderson,"    answered 
Songbird  innocently.    "You  see,  we.  have  gotten 
.'to  be  very  good  friends  lately." 


CHAPTER  XXI 

HOME  FOR  THE  HOLIDAYS 

THE  txext  day  the  Rover  boys  went  down  to 
Ashton  to  see  what  they  could  find  in  the  stores. 
Dick  said  he  wanted  to  get  something  nice  for 
his  Aunt  Martha,  Tom  wanted  something  for 
his  father,  and  Sam  said  he  thought  Uncle  Ran- 
dolph was  deserving  of  a  gift  that  was  worth 
while. 

Yet  when  they  got  into  the  largest  store  of 
which  the  town  boasted  all  seemed  to  gravitate 
naturally  to  where  the  pretty  things  for  the  la- 
dies were  displayed. 

"There's  a  dandy  fan,"  murmured  Tom.  ''Nel- 
lie likes  fans  very  much." 

"So  does  Grace,"  returned  Sam.  "Say,  what 
are  you  going  to  do?" 

"What  are  you  going  to  do,  Sam?" 

"I'm  going  to  get  one  of  those  fans  and  send 
it,  along  with  a  box  of  bonbons  and  chocolates," 
answered  the  youngest  Rover  boldly.  "And  I'm 
216 


HOME  FOR  THE  HOLIDAYS 


217 


going  to  send  Mrs.  Laning  a  pair  of  kid  gloves," 
he  added. 

"Then  I'll  send  a  fan,  too,"  answered  Tom, 
"and  I'll  send  Mrs.  Laning  a  workbox.  I  know 
she'd  like  one." 

In  the  meantime  Dick  was  looking  at  some 
fancy  belt  buckles  and  hatpins.  He  knew  Dora 
liked  such  things. 

"I'll  just  take  Songbird's  advice  and  get  the 
best  I  can  and  send  them,"  he  told  himself.  And 
he  picked  out  the  best  buckle  he  could  find,  and 
likewise  a  handsome  hatpin,  and  had  them  put 
into  a  fancy  box,  along  with  a  fancy  Christmas 
card,  on  which  he  wrote  his  name.  Then  he  pur- 
chased a  five-pound  box  of  candy  at  the  con- 
fectioner's shop,  and  Tom  and  Sam  did  the  same. 

This  was  the  start,  and  now  that  the  ice  was 
broken,  and  the  first  plunge  taken,  the  boys 
walked  around  from  one  store  to  another,  pick- 
ing up  various  articles,  not  alone  for  the  folks 
at  home,  but  also  for  their  various  friends.  And 
they  added  a  number  of  other  things  for  the 
girls,  too. 

"It's  no  worse  to  send  four  things  than  two," 
'was  the  way  Tom  expressed  himself. 

"Right  you  are,"  answered  Dick.  Now  that 
they  had  decided  to  send  the  things  they  all  felt 
better  for  it. 


2i8  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

On  the  day  school  closed  there  was  another 
fall  of  snow,  and  the  boys  were  afraid  they  would 
be  snowbound.  But  the  train  came  in,  although 
rather  late,  and  all  piled  on  board. 

At  Oak  Run,  their  railroad  station,  they  found 
Jack  Ness,  the  Rover's  hired  man,  awaiting 
them  with  the  big  sleigh.  Into  this  they  tum- 
bled, stowing  their  dress-suit  cases  in  the  rear, 
and  then,  with  a  crack  of  the  whip,  they  were 
oft"  over  Swift  River,  and  through  Dexter's  Cor- 
ners, on  their  way  to  Valley  Brook  farm. 

"And  how  are  the  folks,  Jack?"  asked  Sam 
as  they  drove  along,  the  sleighbells  jingling  mer- 
rily in  the  frosty  air. 

"Fine,  Master  Sam,  fine,"  was  the  hired  man's 
answer. 

"And  how  have  you  been?" 

"Me?  Oh,  I've  been  takin'  it  easy — since 
Master  Tom  quit  plaguing  me." 

"Why,  I  never  plague  anybody,"  murmured 
Tom,  with  a  look  of  injured  innocence  on  his 
round  face.  He  reached  out  and  caught  some 
snow  from  a  nearby  bush.  "Say,  Jack,  what  is, 
that  on  the  horse's  hind  foot?"  he  went  on. 

"Where?  I  don't  see  nuthin',"  answered  the 
hired  man,  and  leaned  over  the  dashboard  of  the 
turnout  to  get  a  better  view.  As  his  head  went 


HOME  FOR  THE  HOLIDAYS  2l$ 

forward  Tom  quickly  let  the  snow  in  his  hand 
fall  down  the  man's  neck,  inside  his  collar. 

"Hi!  hi!  Wow!"  spluttered  Jack  Ness, 
straightening  up  and  twisting  his  shoulders. 
"Say,  what  did  you  put  that  snow  down  my 
back  for?" 

"Just  to  keep  you  from  sweating  too  much., 
Jack,"  answered  Tom  with  a  grin. 

"At  your  old  iricks  again,"  groaned  the  hired 
man.  "Now,  I  reckon  the  house  will  be  turned 
upside  down  till  you  go  back  to  college." 

When  the  boys  got  in  sight  of  the  big  farm . 
house  they  set  up  a  ringing  shout  that  quickty 
brought  their  father  and  their  uncle  and  aunt 
to  the  door.  And  behind  these  appeared  the 
ebony  face  of  Aleck  Pop,  the  colored  man  who 
was  now  a  fixture  of  the  Rover  household. 

"Hello,  everybody!"  cried  Tom,  making  a  fly- 
ing leap  from  the  sleigh  the  instant  it  drew  up. 
to  the  piazza..  "Isn't  this  jolly,  though?"  And 
he  rushed  to  his  Aunt  Martha  and  gave  her  a 
hug  and  kiss,  and  then  shook  hands  with  his 
father  and  his  Uncle  Randolph.  Dick  and  Sam 
were  close  behind  him,  and  went  through  a  sim- 
ilar performance. 

"My!  my!  Don't  squeeze  the  breath  out  of 
me!"  cried  Mrs.  Rover,  as  she  beamed  with  de- 
light. "You  boys  are  regular  bears  1" 


220 

"Glad  you  got  through,"  said  their  father.  "It 
looks  like  a  heavy  storm." 

"It  does  my  heart  good  to  see  you  again," 
said  Uncle  Randolph.  "I  trust  you  have  profited 
by  your  stay  at  Brill."  He  was  well  educated 
himself,  and  thought  knowledge  the  greatest 
thing  in  the  world. 

"Oh,  we  did  profit,  Uncle  Randolph,"  an- 
swered Tom  with  mischief  showing  in  his  eyes. 
"Dick  and  I  helped  to  win  the  greatest  football 
game  you  ever  heard  about." 

"Tom  Rover!"  remonstrated  his  aunt,  while 
Aleck  Pop  doubled  up  with  mirth  and  disap- 
peared behind  a  convenient  door. 

"We  brought  home  good  reports,"  said  Sam. 
"Dick  stands  second  in  the  class  and  Tom  stands 
fifth.  That's  not  so  bad  in  a  class  of  twenty- 
two." 

"And  Sam  stands  third,"  put  in  Tom. 

"That  is  splendid!"  said  Anderson  Rover.  "I 
am  proud  of  you!" 

"And  so  am  I  proud,"  added  Randolph  Rover. 

"You'll  all  be  great  men  some  time,"  said  their 
Aunt  Martha.  "But  come  into  the  sitting-room 
and  take  off  your  things.  Supper  will  be  ready 
in  a  little  while.  But  if  you  want  a  doughnut 
beforehand " 

"Hurrah  for  Aunt  Martha's  doughnuts!"  cried 


HOME  FOR  THE  HOLIDAYS  221 

Sam.  "I  was  thinking  of  them  while  riding  in 
the  train/' 

"Well,  you  shall  have  all  you  wish  during  the 
holidays,"  answered  his  aunt  fondly. 

They  were  soon  settled  down  and  relating  the 
particulars  of  some  of  the  things  that  had  hap- 
pened at  Brill.  None  of  the  boys  cared  to  tell 
of  the  coldness  that  had  sprung  up  between 
themselves  and  the  girls.  They  simply  said  they 
knew  the  girls  had  gone  home. 

"That  was  an  outrage,"  said  Mr.  Rover  with 
considerable  warmth. 

"An  outrage?"  repeated  Dick  doubtfully. 
"What  do  you  mean?" 

"Perhaps  you  didn't  hear  the  report  that  was 
circulated  at  Hope  Seminar)'  concerning  them." 

"We  heard  no  report,  excepting  that  they  had 
been  called  home." 

"Somebody  circulated  a  story  that  they  were 
going  to  school  on  money  that  did  not  belong 
to  them — that  their  folks  had  confiscated  a  for- 
tune belonging  to  others.  Grace  wrote  to  her 
mother  that  the  story  was  being  whispered 
about  everywhere,  and  it  was  making  them  all 
miserable;  and  that's  the  main  reason  for  their 
going  home.'' 

"What  a  contemptible  thing  to  do!"  cried 


222  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

Tom.  "Who  do  you  suppose  is  guilty — Tad 
Sobber?" 

"I  can  think  of  nobody  else.  He  is  so  angry 
he  would  do  anything  to  injure  them  and  us." 

"And  what  of  the  case?"  asked  Sam.  "Will 
it  coma  up  in  court  soon?" 

"Some  time  next  Spring." 

"And  what  do  the  lawyers  think  of  our  side 
winning?'  questioned  Dick  eagerly. 

"They  say  it  depends  largely  upon  the  evi- 
dence the  other  side  submits.  It  is  possible  that 
the  case  may  drag  on  for  years." 

"What  a  shame!"  murmured  Dick. 

It  continued  to  snow  all  that  night  and  the 
next  day,  and  Christmas  found  the  family  all  but 
snowbound  at  Valley  Brook. 

"Merry  Christmas!"  was  the  cry,  early  in  the 
morning,  and  the  boys  tumbled  out  of  bed  and 
dressed  in  a  hurry.  Then  they  went  below,  to 
find  a  stack  of  presents  awaiting  them.  They 
quickly  distributed  the  gifts  they  had  brought 
and  then  looked  at  their  own.  They  had  almost 
everything  their  hearts  could  desire. 

Yet  each  youth  felt  a  pang  of  disappointment, 
•'for  among  all  the  gifts  there  were  none  for  them 
from  the  Stanhopes  or  the  Lanings. 

"We  are  out  of  it,"  said  Dick  laconically  to 
his  brothers. 


HOME  FOR  THE  HOLIDAYS  223 

"So  it  appears,"  answered  Tom  soberly.  For 
once,  all  the  fun  was  knocked  out  of  him. 

"Well,  I  am  glad  I  didn't  forget  them,  any- 
way,'' said  Sam  bravely.  But  he  wondered  how 
it  was  Grace  could  treat  him  so  shabbily. 

The  boys  passed  the  day  as  best  they  could  in 
reading  and  playing  games,  and  in  snowballing 
each  other  and  Jack  Ness  and  Aleck  Pop. 

"My!  my!  But  dis  am  lik  old  times  at  Put- 
nam Hall!"  said  the  colored  man,  grinning  from 
ear  to  ear  when  Tom  hit  him  on  the  head  with 
a  snowball.  "Hab  yo'  fun  while  yo'  am  young, 
Massa  Tom." 

"That's  my  motto,  Aleck,"  answered  Tom. 
"Have  another."  And  he  landed  a  snowball  on 
the  colored  man's  shoulder. 

"I  move  we  go  down  to  the  post-office  for 
mail,"  said  Dick  toward  evening.  "We  don't 
know  what  we  may  be  missing." 

"Second  the  motion!"  cried  Tom.  "The  post- 
office  it  is,  if  we  can  get  through." 

"Can't  no  hoss  git  through  these  drifts,"  came 
from  Jack  Ness. 

"We'll  hitch  up  our  biggest  team  and  take 
our  time,"  said  Dick.  "We  have  got  to  get 
down  to  the  post-office  somehow."  He  was 
hoping  desperately  that  he  would  find  a  letter 
from  Dora  there. 


224  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

When  the  old  folks  heard  of  it  they  shook 
their  heads  doubtfully.  But  the  boys  pleaded 
so  strongly  that  at  last  they  were  allowed  to 
go.  They  got  out  a  strong  cutter  and  the  best 
pair  of  horses  on  the  farm,  and  bundled  up  well. 

"If  you  can't  make  it,  drive  in  at  one  of  the 
neighbors,"  said  Mr.  Rover  on  parting. 

"We  will,"  answered  Dick. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

WORD   AT   LAST 

IT  was  a  long,  hard  drive  to  Baxter's  Corners, 
and  by  the  time  the  boys  arrived  there  they  were 
chilled  through  and  through  and  the  team  was 
pretty  well  winded.  They  went  directly  to  the 
postmaster's  house,  for  the  office  was  in  a  room 
of  the  building. 

"I'll  see  if  there  are  any  letters,"  said  the  post- 
master, and  went  off.  He  returned  with  a  pic- 
ture postal  for  Mrs.  Randolph  Rover  and  two 
advertising  circulars  for  her  husband.  There 
were  also  a  newspaper  and  a  magazine  for  the 
boys'  father. 

"And  is  that  all?"  asked  Dick,  his  heart  sink- 
ing. 

"That's  all." 

"Not  worth  coming  for,"  muttered  Tom  as 
they  turned  away. 

"The  mail  didn't  come  in  this  morning," 
shouted  the  postmaster  after  them.  "You'll 
225 


226  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

have  to  wait  for  more  stuff  until  the  train  arrives 
at  Oak  Run." 

"Let  us  go  over  to  the  Run  and  see  if  we  can 
learn  anything  about  the  trains,"  said  Sam,  a 
spark  of  hope  springing  up  in  his  breast. 

They  drove  over  the  river,  and  as  they  did 
so  they  heard  the  whistle  of  a  locomotive. 

"Something  is  coming,"  cried  Dick. 

"Perhaps  it's  only  the  night  freight,"  returned 
Tom. 

When  they  reached  the  depot  the  train  was 
standing  there.  It  was  the  morning  accommo- 
dation, nine  hours  late.  They  saw  some  mail 
bags  thrown  off  and  also  several  express  boxes 
and  packages. 

Curiosity  prompted  Dick  to  inspect  the  ex- 
press goods.  He  uttered  a  cry  of  joy. 

"A  box  for  us!"  he  exclaimed.  "And  from 
Cedarville!" 

"Where?"  cried  Tom  and  Sam,  and  ran  for- 
ward to  look  the  box  over.  It  was  two  feet  long 
and  a  foot  high,  and  equally  deep,  and  was  ad- 
dressed to  R.,  T.  and  S.  Rover. 

"From  the  girls,  I'll  bet  a  snowball!"  cried 
Tom  joyfully.  "Hurry  up  and  sign  for  it  and 
we'll  see  what  it  contains." 

The  agent  was  at  hand,  for  he  was  the  ticket 
agent  and  station  master  as  well,  and  they  soon 


WORD  AT  LAST  227 

signed  for  the  box.  Then  they  took  it  to  a  se- 
cluded corner  of  the  station,  and  with  a  bor- 
rowed hammer  and  chisel  pried  off  the  cover, 
i  The  sight  that  met  their  gaze  filled  them  with 
'pleasure.  There  were  several  packages  fop  each 
of  the  boys,  from  the  girls  and  from  Mrs.  Stan- 
hope and  Mrs.  Laning.  There  were  some  beau- 
tiful neckties,  some  books,  and  some  diaries  for 
the  new  year,  and  a  box  of  fudge  made  by  the 
girls.  Dora  had  written  on  the  flyleaf  of  one 
of  the  books,  wishing  Dick  a  Merry  Christmas 
and  a  Happy  New  Year,  and  similar  sentiments 
from  Nellie  and  Grace  appeared  in  the  books  for 
Tom  and  Sam. 

"Say,  I  reckon  this  was  worth  coming  for," 
remarked  Sam. 

"Rather,"  answered  Dick. 

"Wouldn't  have  missed  it  for  a  million  dol- 
lars," added  Tom. 

"Maybe  the  mail  bag  has  some  letters  for  us," 
went  on  Sam.  He  was  disappointed  that  no  note 
had  accompanied  the  gifts. 

"We'll  take  the  bags  to  the  office  and  see," 
said  Dick,  and  this  was  done  a  little  later,  after 
the  box  had  been  closed  and  put  in  the  cutter 
and  carefully  covered  with  a  robe.  In  the  bags 
were  found  letters  from  their  old  friends,  Hans 


228  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

Mueller  and  Fred  Garrison,  and  a  postal  from 
Dave  Kearney,  but  that  was  all. 

"Well,  we  mustn't  expect  too  much,"  said 
Dick.  "Remember,  we  didn't  send  any  letters." 

"But  we  will  now,  thanking  them  for  all  these 
nice  things,"  said  Sam  quickly. 

It  was  nearly  midnight  before  the  boys  got 
home  again,  and  their  folks  were  much  alarmed 
about  them.  They  were  almost  exhausted,  but 
very  happy,  and  they  showed  their  new  presents 
with  great  pride. 

"They  are  dear  girls!"  said  Mrs.  Rover.  "It 
was  splendid  of  them  to  remember  you  this  way, 
and  splendid  of  Mrs.  Stanhope  and  Mrs.  Laning, 
too." 

The  next  morning  was  spent  in  writing  let- 
ters. It  was  rather  hard  at  first  to  say  just  what 
they  wanted  to,  but  after  they  had  started  the 
letters  grew  and  grew,  until  each  was  ten  pages 
or  more.  They  told  about  meeting  Minnie  San- 
derson  and  the  other  girls  by  accident,  and  about 
not  getting  the  notes  until  that  night,  and  Dick 
added  the  following  to  his  letter  to  Dora: 

"And  now  let  me  tell  you  something  in  secret. 
Songbird  Powell  has  developed  a  very,  very 
strong  liking  for  Miss  Sanderson,  the  girl  Tom 
and  Sam  and  I  aided  when  first  we  came  to  Brill. 


WORD  AT  LAST 


229 


He  talks  about  her  a  good  deal,  and  took  her  to 
a  concert  at  Ashton  one  evening.  He  said  he 
was  going  to  give  her  an  autograph  album  for 
Christmas  and  write  in  it  an  original  poem  six- 
teen verses  long,  on  The  Clasp  of  a  Friendly 
Hand.'  That  is  pushing  matters  some,  isn't  it? 
We  all  wish  him  luck." 

"There,  that  ought  to  make  her  understand 
how  I  feel  about  Miss  Sanderson,"  said  Dick  to 
himself.  And  then  he  ended  the  letter  by  stat- 
ing he  hoped  they  would  meet  again  soon  so 
that  they  could  have  a  good  long  talk. 

On  the  day  after  the  letters  were  mailed  the 
storm  cleared  away  and  the  sun  came  out  bright- 
ly. The  boys  went  for  a  long  sleigh  ride,  and 
visited  some  friends  living  in  that  vicinity.  Then 
they  helped  to  clear  off  a  pond,  and  on  New 
Year's  day  went  skating. 

"And  now  back  to  the  grind,"  said  Tom  with 
a  little  sigh. 

"Never  mind.  Remember  summer  will  soon 
be  here,"  answered  Sam.  "And  then  we  can  go 
on  a  dandy  trip  somewhere." 

The  next  day  found  them  back  at  Brill.  This 
was  Saturday,  and  the  school  sessions  were  re- 
sumed on  Monday.  They  went  at  their  studies 
with  a  will,  resolved  to  get  marks  that  would  be 


230 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 


"worth  while"  at  the  June  examinations.  They 
were  asked  to  join  the  college  basketball  team, 
but  declined,  and  took  regular  gymnasium  exer- 
cise instead.  Much  to  their  surprise,  Dudd 
Flockley  was  put  on  the  team. 

"I  don't  think  that  dude  will  make  good,"  said 
Tom,  and  he  was  right.  Flockley  made  some 
bad  errors  during  the  first  game  played,  and  was 
lectured  so  severely  that  he  left  the  team  in  dis- 
gust, and  Songbird  Powell  was  put  in  his  place. 
Then  the  team  won  three  games  straight,  which 
pleased  all  the  students  of  Brill  greatly.  Minnie 
Sanderson  was  at  two  of  the  games,  and  she 
applauded  Songbird  heartily.  The  two  were 
certainly  warm  friends.  Dick  spoke  to  Minnie, 
but  did  not  keep  himself  long  in  her  company. 

At  last,  after  waiting  much  longer  than  they 
had  expected,  the  boys  received  letters  from 
Dora  and  the  Lanings.  The  girls  had  been  on 
a  visit  to  some  relatives  in  Philadelphia,  and  had 
just  received  the  letters  mailed  from  Oak  Run. 

The  three  Rovers  read  those  letters  with  deep 
interest.  They  told  about  what  the  girls  had 
been  doing,  and  related  the  particulars  of  the 
trouble  at  Hope  Seminary.  It  was  all  Tad  Sob- 
ber's  work,  they  said,  and  added  that  Sobber 
had  written  that  he  would  not  only  get  the 


WORD  AT  LAST  231 

treasure,  but  also  disgrace  them  all  he  possibly 
could. 

"The  rascal!"  muttered  Dick  when  he  read 
this.  "He  ought  to  be  put  in  prison!" 

Dora's  letter  to  Dick  was  an  especially  ten- 
der epistle,  and  he  read  it  several  times  in  se- 
cret. He  was  glad  that  the  misunderstanding 
between  them  was  being  cleared  away.  He 
wished  she  might  be  near,  so  that  he  could  go 
and  see  her. 

"I'd  take  a  run  to  Cedarville  if  it  wasn't  so 
far,"  he  told  his  brothers. 

"I'd  go  along,"  answered  Tom,  and  Sam  said 
the  same. 

"Perhaps  we  can  run  up  there  during  the 
spring  vacation,"  went  on  Dick. 

There  was  little  more  snow  that  winter,  but 
the  weather  remained  bitterly  cold  until  well 
into  February.  The  boys  had  considerable  fun 
snowballing,  and  skating  on  the  river.  Racing 
on  skates  was  a  favorite  amusement,  and  Sam 
and  Tom  won  in  a  number  of  contests. 

One  day  Tom  was  skating  by  himself.  He 
was  doing  some  fancy  figures,  and  he  did  not 
notice  the  approach  of  Jerry  Koswell,  who  was 
skating  with  a  young  lady  from  Ashton.  Tom 
came  around  in  a  circle,  and  Jerry,  who  was  look- 
ing at  the  young  lady  instead  of  where  he  was 


232  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

going,  bumped  into  Tom.  Both  of  the  students 
went  down,  Tom  on  top. 

"Hi!  What  do  you  mean  by  this?"  burst  out 
Koswell  in  a  rage. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  retorted  Tom,  getting 
up. 

"You  knocked  me  down  on  purpose!"  howled 
Jerry. 

"It  was  as  much  your  fault  as  mine." 

"It  wasn't  my  fault  at  all.  I've  a  good  mind 
to  punch  your  face!"  And  having  gotten  to  hit 
feet,  Koswell  doubled  up  his  fists  threateningly. 

At  this  the  young  lady  let  out  a  scream. 

"Oh,  please  don't  fight!"  she  cried.  And  then 
she  skated  to  a  distance  and  disappeared  in  a 
crowd. 

"You  keep  your  distance,  Koswell,"  said  Tom 
coldly.  "If  you  don't " 

He  got  no  further,  for  just  then  Koswell  let 
out  with  his  right  fist.  The  blow  landed  on 
Tom's  shoulder  and  sent  him  spinning  away  a 
distance  of  several  feet. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

THE  SPRINGTIME  OF  LIFE 

"A  FIGHT  !  a  fight !"  came  from  the  crowd,  and 
soon  Tom  and  Koswell  were  surrounded  by  a 
number  of  students  and  some  outsiders. 

The  blow  from  the  bully  angered  Tom  great- 
ly, and  skating  forward  he  made  a  pass  at  Kos- 
well. But  the  latter  ducked,  and  then  came 
back  at  Tom  with  a  blow  that  sent  the  fun- 
loving  Rover  into  several  students  standing  by. 

"Say,  Rover,  look  out,  or  Jerry  Koswell  will 
eat  you  up!"  said  one  of  the  seniors. 

"Koswell  is  a  good  scrapper,"  came  from  an- 
other. 

"I  gave  him  one  lesson  and  I  can  give  him 
another,"  answered  Tom.  "There,  take  that!" 

He  turned  swiftly  and  rushed  at  KoswelL 
One  blow  after  another  was  delivered  with  tell- 
ing accuracy,  and  Koswell  went  flat  on  his  back 
on  the  ice.  When  he  got  up  his  nose  was  bleed- 
ing. 

233 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"I'll  fix  you!"  he  roared.  "Come  on  to  shor* 
and  take  off  your  skates!" 

"I'm  willing,"  answered  Tom  recklessly.  He 
knew  fighting  was  against  the  rules  of  the  col- 
lege, but  he  was  not  going  to  cry  quits. 

The  pair  moved  toward  the  shore,  the  crowd 
still  surrounding  them.  They  soon  had  their 
skates  off. 

"Now,  Jerry,  do  him  up  brown!"  came  from 
Larkspur,  who  was  present. 

"Give  him  the  thrashing  of  his  life!"  added 
Flockley,  who  had  come  up. 

"He  has  got  to  spell  able  first,  and  he  doesn't 
know  the  alphabet  well  enough  to  do  it!"  an- 
swered Tom. 

"What's  up?"  cried  a  voice  from  the  rear  of 
the  crowd,  and  Dick  appeared,  followed  by  Sam. 

"Koswell  attacked  me,  and  wants  to  fight, 
and  I  am  going  to  accommodate  him,"  said 
Tom. 

"Don't  you  butt  in!"  growled  Koswell. 

"I  won't,"  answered  Dick.  "But  I  want  to 
see  fair  play."  He  knew  it  would  be  useless  to 
attempt  to  get  Tom  to  give  up  the  fight. 

Without  preliminaries  the  two  faced  each 
other,  and  Kosweli  made  a  savage  rush  at  Tom, 
aiming  a  blow  for  his  face.  Tom  ducked,  and 
landed  on  his  opponent's  chest.  Then  Koswell 


THE  SPRINGTIME  OF  LIFE  235 

hit  Tom  on  the  arm  and  Tom  came  back  at  him 
with  one  on  the  chin.  Then  they  clinched,  went 
4ovvn,  and  rolled  over  and  over. 

"Stop,  you  rascal!"  cried  Tom  suddenly. 
"Can't  you  fight  fair?" 

"What's  up?"  asked  Dick,  leaping  forward. 

"He  bit  me  in  the  wrist!" 

"I — I  didn't  do  anything  of  the  kind!"  howled 
Jerry  KoswelJ. 

"Break  away,  both  of  you!"  ordered  Dick. 
"We'll  see  into  this." 

Tom  let  go,  but  Koswell  continued  to  hold 
fast.  Seeing  this,  Dick  forced  the  two  apart  and 
both  scrambled  up. 

"See  here,  this  isn't  your  fight!"  said  Lark- 
spur to  Dick. 

"It  will  be  yours  if  you  don't  shut  up!"  an- 
swered Dick,  so  sharply  that  Larkspur  shrunk 
back  in  alarm. 

"I  didn't  bite  him!"  grumbled  Koswell. 

"He  did — right  here!"  answered  Tom  posi- 
tively. "Look!" 

He  pulled  up  his  sleeve  and  showed  his  wrist. 
There  in  the  flesh  were  the  indentations  of  a  set 
of  teeth. 

"You  coward !"  said  Sam.  "You  ought  to  be 
drummed  out  of  Brill!" 


236  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"That's  worse  than  using  a  sandbag,"  added 
Dick. 

"I— I  didn't  do  it,"  muttered  Koswell.  He 
looked  around  as  if  he  wanted  to  slink  out  of 
sight. 

"You  did!"  cried  Tom.  "And  take  that  for 
it !"  And  before  the  brute  of  a  youth  could  ward 
off  the  blow  he  received  Tom's  fist  in  his  right 
eye.  Then  he  got  one  in  the  other  eye  and 
another  in  the  nose  that  made  the  blood  spurt 
freely.  He  tried  to  defend  himself,  but  Tom  was 
"fighting  mad,"  and  his  blows  came  so  rapidly 
that  Koswell  was  knocked  around  like  a  tenpin 
and  sent  bumping,  first  into  Flockley,  then  into 
Larkspur,  and  then  into  some  bushes,  where  he 
lay,  panting  for  breath. 

"Now  have  you  had  enough?"  demanded 
Tom,  while  the  crowd  marveled  at  his  quickness 
and  staying  powers. 

"I — I "  stammered  Koswell. 

"If  you've  had  enough,  say  so,"  went  on  Tim. 
"If  not,  I'll  give  you  some  more." 

"I — I'm  sick,"  murmured  Koswell.  "I  was 
sick  this  morning  when  I  got  up.  I'll — I'll  fin- 
ish this  with  you  some  other  day." 

"All  right,  Koswell,"  answered  Tom  coolly. 
"But  when  you  go  at  it  again,  do  it  fairly,  or 
you'll  get  the  worst  of  it.  Remember  that  f" 


THE  SPRINGTIME  OF  LIFE 


2*7 


"Hurrah  for  Tom  Rover!"  was  the  cry  from 
Stanley,  and  the  cheer  was  taken  up  on  all  sides. 
Jerry  Koswell  sneaked  away  as  soon  as  he  couhi, , 
and  Flockley  and  Larkspur  followed  him. 

"He'll  have  it  in  for  you,  Tom,"  said  Sam  as' 
he  and  his  brothers  got  away  from  the  crowd. 
"Most  likely  he  is  mad  enough  to  do  anything." 

"Oh,  he  was  mad  before,"  declared  Tom.  "I 
am  not  afraid  of  him." 

Everybody  thought  there  might  be  another 
fight  in  the  near  future,  but  day  after  day  went 
by  and  Koswell  made  no  move,  nor  did  he  even 
notice  Tom.  He  kept  with  Flockley  and  Lark- 
spur, and  the  three  were  often  noticed  consult- 
ing together. 

At  last  winter  was  over,  and  the  warm  breath 
of  Spring  filled  the  air.  Much  to  the  pleasure  of 
the  boys,  they  got  news  that  Dora,  Nellie  and 
Grace  were  going  to  return  to  Hope,  regardless 
of  the  reports  that  had  been  circulated  about 
them. 

"Good!  That's  what  I  call  pluck!"  cried  Dick. 

They  learned  when  the  girls  would  arrive  at 
Ashton,  and  got  permission  to  go  to  town  to 
meet  them.  It  must  be  confessed  that  all  of  them 
were  a  trifle  nervous,  in  spite  of  the  warm  letters 
that  had  been  sent. 

When  the  train  came  in  they  rushed  for  the 


238  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

.parlor  car,  and  then  what  a  handshaking  and 
•greeting  followed  all  around!  Everybody  was 
talking  at  once,  and  after  the  first  minute  or 
two  there  was  nothing  but  smiles  and  laughter. 

"I  am  so  sorry  that — you  know,"  whispered 
Dick  to  Dora. 

"So  am  I,"  she  answered.  "What  geese  we 
are,  aren't  we?" 

"Well,  we  won't  have  any  more  misunder- 
standings, will  we?"  he  went  on,  squeezing  her 
ihand. 

"Never!"  she  declared,  and  gave  him  an  arch 
look.  "And  you  say  Songbird  is — is " 

"Going  with  Miss  Sanderson?  Yes;  and  they 
-are  as  thick  as  two  peas.  But,  Dora,  I  never 
""was — er — very  friendly  with  her.  I — I " 

"But  you — you  talked  to  her  at  that  football 
;game,  Dick.  And  you  didn't  meet  me  when 
oam 

"I  know.  But  I  had  to  find  her  a  seat,  after 
she  about  asked  me  to.  I  wanted  to  be  with 
you,  I  did  really,  dear." 

"Who  said  you  could  call  me  dear?"  And 
now  her  eyes  were  as  bright  as  stars. 

"I  said  so,  and  I'm  going  to — when  we  are 
alone.  The  future  Mrs.  Dick  Rover  deserves 
it,"  he  went  on  boldly,  but  in  a  very  low  voice. 

"Oh,  Dick,  you're  awful!"  cried  Dora,  and 


THE  SPRINGTIME  OF  LIFE 


239 


blushed.  But  somehow  she  appeared  mightily 
pleased. 

The  boys  drove  the  girls  to  the  seminary,  and 
by  the  time  the  boarding-school  was  reached  all 
were  on  the  best  of  terms  once  more. 

"Mamma  wanted  us  to  come  back,"  explained 
Dora.  "She  says,  even  if  we  do  lose  that  fortune- 
she  wants  me  to  have  a  better  education,  and 
she  will  pay  the  bill  for  Nellie  and  Grace,  too.'* 

"It  will  make  the  Lanings  quite  poor,  I  am 
afraid,  if  the  fortune  is  lost,"  replied  Dick 
gravely. 

"I  know  it,  Dick,  but  we'll  have  to  take  what 
comes." 

"Have  you  heard  from  Sobber  or  his  lawyer 
lately?" 

"Nothing  since  he  threatened  to  disgrace  us." 

"You  must  watch  out  for  him.  If  he  attempts 
to  bother  you  while  you  are  here  let  us  know 
at  once." 

"We  will." 

"I  hope  the  case  in  court  is  decided  soon,  and 
in  your  favor." 

"Say,  stop!"  cried  Tom,  as  they  were  turning 
into  the  gate  at  the  seminary. 

"What's  up?"  asked  Sam,  while  Dick  halted 
the  team  he  was  driving. 


240  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"Here  comes  a  buggy  along  the  side  road. 
Just  look  who  is  in  it!" 

All  turned  to  look  in  the  direction  of  the  turn- 
out which  was  approaching.  As  it  came  closer 
the  Rover  boys  recognized  it  as  one  belonging 
to  Mr.  Sanderson.  On  the  front  seat  sat  Song- 
bird, driving,  with  Minnie  Sanderson  beside  him. 
On  the  rear  seat  was  William  Philander  Tubbs, 
in  company  with  one  of  Minnie's  friends — a  girl 
the  Rovers  had  met  while  nutting. 

"There's  a  happy  crowd!"  cried  Tom  after 
they  had  passed  and  bowed  and  smiled. 

"No  happier  than  we  are,"  said  Dick  as  he 
looked  meaningly  at  Dora. 

"You  are  right,  Dick,"  she  answered  very 
earnestly. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

AT  THE  HAUNTED  HOUSE 

"BoYS,  I've  got  a  proposition  to  make,"  said 
Dick,  one  Friday  afternoon,  as  he  and  his  broth- 
ers, with  Songbird  and  Stanley,  were  strolling 
along-  the  river  bank. 

"All  right.  We'll  accept  it  for  twenty-five 
cents  on  the  dollar,"  returned  Tom  gaily. 

"What  is  it,  Dick?"  asked  Songbird. 

"Do  you  remember  the  haunted  house  at 
Rushville,  the  place  Mr.  Sanderson  called  the 
Jamison  home?"  asked  Dick  of  his  brothers. 

"Sure!"  returned  Sam  and  Tom  promptly. 

"Well,  I  propose  we  visit  that  house  to-mor- 
row and  investigate  the  ghosts — if  there  are 
any." 

"Just  the  thing!"  cried  Sam. 

"I've  heard  of  that  place,"  said  Stanley.  "I 
am  willing  to  go  if  the  rest  are." 

"If  I  go  as  far  as  Rushville  I  might  as  well 
241 


.242  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

•go  on  to  the  Sanderson  home,"  said  Songbird, 
"who  could  not  get  Minnie  out  of  his  mind. 

"Well,  we'll  leave  you  off — after  we  have  in- 
terviewed the  ghosts,"  answered  Dick  with  a 
laugh. 

"Do  you  believe  in  ghosts?"  asked  Stanley 
with  a  faint  smile. 

"No.    Do  you?" 

"Hardly,  although  I  have  heard  some  queer 
stories.  My  aunt  used  to  think  she  had  seen 
ghosts." 

"She  was  mistaken,"  said  Tom.  "There  are 
no  real  ghosts." 

"Say,  Tom,  how  could  a  ghost  be  real  and 
^till  be  a  ghost?"  asked  Songbird,  and  this  ques- 
tion brought  forth  a  general  laugh. 

The  boys  sat  down  on  a  bench  in  the  warm 
sunshine  to  discuss  the  proposed  visit  to  the  de- 
serted Jamison  place,  and  it  was  arranged  that 
they  should  drive  to  the  spot  in  a  two-seated 
carriage.  Then,  while  the  Rovers  and  Stanley 
investigated  to  their  hearts'  content,  Songbird 
was  to  drive  on  to  the  Sanderson  home  for  a 
brief  visit. 

"But,  mind,  you  are  not  to  stay  too  long," 
said  Dick.  "An- hour  is  the  limit." 

"I'll  make  it  an  hour  by  the  watch,"  an* 
swered  the  would-be  poet.  "Say,  I  just  thought 


AT  THE  HAUNTED  HOUSE  243 

of  something,"  he  went  on,  and  murmured  soft- 
ly: 

"To-morrow,  ere  the  hour  is  late, 
We  shall  go  forth  to  investigate. 

The  Jamison  ghost 

Shall  be  our  host ; 
We  trust  we'll  meet  a  kindly  fate!" 

"That's  as  cheerful  as  a  funeral  dirge!"  cried 
Tom. 

"We  don't  want  to  meet  any  kind  of  a  fate," 
added  Sam.  "We  want  to  have  some  fun." 

While  the  boys  were  discussing  the  proposed 
trip  to  Rushville  they  did  not  notice  that  Lark- 
spur was  close  at  hand,  taking  in  much  that  was 
said.  Presently  Larkspur  sauntered  off  and 
hunted  up  Jerry  Koswell. 

"The  Rovers  are  going  off  to-morrow,"  he 
said.  "Where  do  you  suppose  they  are  going?" 

"I  am  not  good  at  guessing  riddles,"  an- 
swered Koswell  rather  sourly.  He  hated  to  hear 
the  Rover  name  mentioned,  since  it  made  him 
think  of  his  defeat  at  Tom's  hands. 

"They  are  going  to  the  old  Jamison  place  at 
Rushville." 

"Well,  what  of  it?" 

"I  was  thinking,"  answered  Larkspur  mean- 
ingly. "You  said  you  would  like  to  square  up 
with  the  Rovers,  and  with  Tom  especially." 


244  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"So  I  would.  Show  me  how  it  can  be  done 
and  I'll  go  at  it  in  jig  time."  And  now  Koswell 
was  all  attention. 

"I  happen  to  know  that  Tom  Rover  and  Pro- 
fessor Sharp  are  on  the  outs  again,"  said  Lark- 
spur. "The  professor  wouldn't  like  anything 
better  than  to  catch  him  doing  something 
against  the  rules." 

"Well,  what  do  you  propose,  anyway?"  de- 
manded Jerry  Koswell. 

"Come  up  to  the  room  and  I'll  tell  you,"  an- 
swered Larkspur,  and  then  the  two  hurried  off 
and,  joined  by  Dudd  Flockley,  hatched  out  a 
scheme  to  get  the  Rovers  into  dire  trouble  with 
the  college  authorities.  They  had  a  number  of 
preparations  to  make,  and  paid  a  hurried  visit 
to  Ashton  and  several  other  places,  Flockley 
hiring  a  runabout  for  that  purpose. 

Saturday  proved  clear  and  warm,  and  the 
Rovers  and  their  friends  started  directly  after 
lunch  for  Rushville  in  a  two-seated  carriage, 
hired  from  a  liveryman  of  Ashton.  As  they  did 
not  wish  to  excite  any  curiosity,  they  told  Tubbs 
and  Max  that  they  were  going  out  merely  for  a 
long  ride. 

"Going  to  call  on  Miss  Stanhope  and  the 
Misses  Laning,  I  suppose,"  said  William  Phi- 
lander. 


A  T  THE  HA  UNTED  HO  USE  24$ 

"No.  They  have  some  lessons  to  make  up  to- 
day," answered  Dick,  and  this  was  true;  other- 
wise the  Rovers  might  not  have  been  so  willing 
to  spend  their  time  at  the  haunted  house. 

No  sooner  had  the  Rovers  and  their  two 
friends  driven  away  from  Brill  than  an  automo- 
bile dashed  up  on  the  side  road,  and  Flockley, 
Koswell  and  Larkspur  climbed  in.  The  auto- 
mobile kept  to  the  side  road  until  the  Rovers 
turnout  was  passed,  then  took  to  the  main  high- 
way, passing  the  upper  end  of  Ashton. 

"Here  is  where  you  can  leave  us,"  said  Kos- 
well to  the  chauffeur.  "I'll  see  to  it  that  the 
machine  conies  back  safely." 

"You  are  sure  about  being  able  to  run  it?" 
asked  the  man. 

"Of  course.  I  ran  a  big  six-cylinder  at  home." 

"Very  well,  then.  This  is  a  fine  car,  and  there 
would  be  trouble  with  the  boss  if  anything  hap- 
pened to  it." 

"Nothing  is  going  to  happen,  so  don't  wor- 
ry," answered  Koswell  coolly.  Then  the  chauf- 
feur left,  and  the  automobile  dashed  on  its  way 
n  the  direction  of  Rushville, 

As  the  Rovers  and  their  chums  were  out  pure- 
ly for  pleasure,  they  took  their  time  in  driving 
to  Rushville,  going  there  by  way  of  Hope  Semi- 


246  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

nary.  They  thought  they  might  catch  sight  of 
Dora  and  the  Lanings,  but  were  disappointed. 

"Too  bad  that  they  have  got  to  grind  away 
on  such  a  fine  day  as  this,"  said  Dick. 

"Well,  such  is  life,"  returned  Sam.  "One 
good  thing,  schooldays  won't  last  forever." 

"Just  wait  till  the  summer  vacation  comes!" 
cried  Tom.  "I'm  going  to  have  the  best  time 
anybody  ever  heard  about." 

"What  doing?"  questioned  Stanley. 

"Oh,  I  don't  know  yet." 

They  took  their  time  climbing  the  long  hill 
leading  to  the  haunted  house,  and  it  was  just 
three  o'clock  when  they  came  in  sight  of  the 
dilapidated  structure,  almost  hidden  in  the  tan- 
gle of  trees  and  underbrush. 

"Now,  Songbird,  you've  got  to  be  back  here 
by  four,  or  half  after,  at  the  latest,"  said  Dick 
as  he  and  his  brothers  and  Stanley  got  out.  "No 
spooning  with  Minnie  till  six." 

"Huh!  I  don't  spoon,"  grumbled  the  would- 
be  poet.  "I  am — er — only  going  to  show  her 
some  new  verses  I  wrote.  They  are  enti- 
tled  * 

"Keep  them  for  Minnie!"  cried  Sam.  "And 
remember  what  Dick  said.  We  are  not  going  to 
hang  around  here  after  dark." 

"Scared  already?"  asked  Songbird. 


AT  THE  HAUNTED  HOUSE  24,; 

"No,  but  enough  of  this  place  is  enough, 
that's  all." 

"I'll  be  back,  don't  worry,"  said  Songbird,  and 
,  away  he  drove  at  a  swift  gait,  leaving  the  Rovers 
and  Stanley  in  the  roadway  in  front  of  the  house 
said  to  be  haunted. 

It  was  certainly  a  lonely  spot,  no  other  house 
being  in  sight,  for  Rushville  lay  under  the  brow 
of  a  hill.  The  boys  stood  still  and  listened.  Not 
a  sound  broke  the  stillness  that  surrounded  the 
deserted  house. 

"It  sure  is  a  ghostlike  place,"  remarked  Stan- 
ley. "I  shouldn't  care  to  come  here  at  mid- 
night." 

"Oh,  that  wouldn't  make  any  difference,  if 
you  had  a  light,"  answered  Dick.  The  thought 
of  a  ghost  had  never  bothered  him  very  much. 

Boldly  the  four  boys  entered  what  had  once 
been  a  fine  garden.  The  pathway  was  now  over- 
run with  weeds  and  bushes,  and  they  had  to  pick 
their  way  with  care.  Then  they  ascended  the 
piazza,  the  flooring  of  which  was  much  decayed. 
'.  "Look  out  that  you  don't  fall  through  some- 
where, and  break  a  leg,"  cautioned  Tom.  "This 
is  worse  than  it  looks  from  the  outside." 

"Wait  till  we  get  inside,"  said  Sam.  "Glad  we 
brought  a  lantern."  For  a  light  had  been  taken 
along  at  the  last  minute. 


248  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

They  pushed  open  the  front  door  and  entered 
the  broad  hall.  As  they  did  so  they  heard  a 
noise  at  the  rear  of  the  place. 

"What  was  that?"  asked  Stanley  nervously. 

"Sounded  like  a  door  closing/'  answered  Dick. 

"Hello!"  called  out  Tom.    "Is  any  one  here?"; 

To  this  call  there  was  no  answer.     Nor  was  * 
the  noise  they  had  heard  repeated. 

"Come  on,"  said  Dick  bravely.  "I  am  going 
to  walk  right  through  the  house,  room  by  room, 
from  top  to  bottom." 

"And  we'll  all  go  along,"  said  Tom  and  Sam. 

"Well,  I  am  with  you,"  came  from  Stanley. 
But  he  plainly  showed  that  he  did  not  relish 
what  was  before  him. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

IN  THE  HANDS  OF  THE  ENEMY 

THE  first  room  the  boys  entered  was  the  parlor. 
It  was  totally  dark,  the  blinds  of  the  windows 
being  tightly  closed.  It  was  full  of  cobwebs, 
which  brushed  their  cheeks  as  they  passed  along. 

"Certainly  this  was  a  fine  mansion  in  its  day," 
said  Dick,  as  he  threw  the  rays  of  the  lantern 
around.  "But  it  is  utterly  worthless  now,"  he 
added  as  he  gazed  at  the  fallen  ceilings  and  rot- 
ted woodwork. 

"I  fancy  the  ghosts  are  nothing  but  rats  and 
bats,"  said  Tom.  "Come  on,"  he  continued. 
"It's  damp  enough  to  give  one  the  rheuma- 
tism." 

From  the  parlor  they  passed  to  a  sitting- 
room.  Here  there  was  a  huge  open  fireplace, 
filled  with  ashes  and  cobwebs.  As  they  entered 
the  room  they  heard  a  rushing  noise  in  the  chim- 
ney. 

"What's  that?"  cried  Stanley  anxiously. 


250 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 


"Birds,"  answered  Dick.  "I  suppose  they 
have  made  their  home  in  the  chimney,  since  it  is 
not  used  for  fires." 

In  a  corner  of  the  sitting-room  was  an  old 
table,  and  on  it  several  musty  books.  The  boys 
looked  the  books  over,  but  found  little  to  inter- 
est them.  As  relics  the  volumes  were  of  no 
value. 

"Come  on  to  the  dining-room,"  said  Tom. 
"Maybe  we'll  find  something  good  to  eat." 

"Ugh!  I  don't  want  anything  here,"  answered 
Stanley  with  a  shudder. 

"Wouldn't  you  like  a  piece  of  ghost  pie,  or 
some  specter  doughnuts?"  went  on  Tom,  who 
was  bound  to  have  his  fun. 

"Nothing,  thank  you,  Tom." 

The  dining-room  of  the  house  was  in  a  wing, 
and  to  get  to  it  they  had  to  pass  through  a  pair 
of  folding  doors  which  were  all  but  closed.  As 
they  did  so  all  heard  a  peculiar  rustling  sound, 
but  from  whence  it  came  they  could  not  tell. 

"What  was  that?"  asked  Sam. 

"I  don't  know,"  answered  his  oldest  brother. 

"Say,  this  room  looks  as  if  it  had  been  used 
lately,"  cried  Tom,  as  the  rays  of  the  lantern 
illuminated  the  apartment.  "Why,  it's  quite 
homelike!" 

"Maybe  some  tramps  have  had  their  head- 


IN  THE  HANDS  OF  THE  ENEMY    251 

quarters  here,"  said  Dick.  "It  would  be  just 
like  them  to  single  out  a  spot  like  this." 

"Yes,  provided  they  weren't  afraid  of  ghosts," 
came  from  Stanley. 

"Tramps  arer*  t  usually  afraid  of  anything  but 
work,"  answered  Tom  dryly.  "But  this  is  queer, 
isn't  it?"  he  added,  as  he  picked  up  an  empty 
cigar  box.  "Somebody  must  smoke  good  cigars 
— these  were  imported." 

"Here  is  an  empty  liquor  flask,"  said  Stanley. 

"And  here  are  some  empty  wine  bottles,"  add- 
ed Sam. 

"And  here  are  some  decks  of  playing-cards," 
put  in  Dick.  "Yes,  some  persons  have  certainly 
used  this  as  a  hangout." 

"What  is  this  in  the  fireplace?"  asked  Tom  as 
he  pointed  to  something  smoking  there. 

"It  certainly  has  a  vile  smell!"  exclaimed  Stan- 
ley, making  a  wry  face. 

"That  shows  somebody  has  been  here  recent- 
ly," was  Dick's  comment.  "We  had  better  be 
on  guard  if  they  are  tramps." 

"I  can't  stand  that  smell,"  said  Tom.  "I  am 
going  to  get  out." 

The  stuff  in  the  fireplace,  whatever  it  was,  now 
burned  up  more  brightly.  It  gave  off  a  peculiar 
vapor  that  made  the  boys  dizzy. 

Tom  turned  to  a  door  that  led  to  the  kitchen 


252  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

of  the  house.  The  door  was  shut,  and  he  tried 
in  vain  to  open  it.  The  others  were  behind  him, 
and  they,  too,  tried  to  open  the  barrier. 

"Must  be  locked  from  the  other  side,"  said 
Tom.  "Come  on  out  the  way  we  came  in.  Gra- 
cious! Isn't  that  awful  stuff  that  is  burning?" 
h~  added,  for  the  vapor  now  filled  the  room  com- 
pletely. 

In  sudden  alarm  the  four  boys  turned  back 
toward  the  folding  doors  through  which  they 
had  entered  the  dining-room.  To  their  conster- 
nation, the  doors  were  tightly  shut. 

"Who  shut  these?"  asked  Dick  as  he  tried  to 
open  one  of  the  doors. 

"I  didn't,"  said  Sam. 

"Neither  did  I,"  added  Tom. 

"Nobody  touched  the  doors!"  ejaculated 
Stanley.  "It  must  be  some  of  the  ghost's  work." 

"Nonsense!"  answered  Dick  sharply.  "Some- 
body shut  the  doors — and  locked  'em,"  he  added 
after  trying  both.  "Hi,  you!"  he  called.  "Open 
these  doors,  and  be  quick  about  it !" 

"Thou  fool,  to  come  here!"  exclaimed  a  hol- 
low voice  from  the  other  side  of  the  doors. 

"It's  the  ghost!    I  said  it  was!"  said  Stanley. 

"It's  somebody  fooling  us,"  answered  Tom. 
"Open  the  door,  or  we'll  smash  it  down!"  he 
added  in  a  loud  voice. 


IN  THE  HANDS  OF  THE  ENEMY    253 

Instead  of  a  reply  there  came  a  weird  groan 
and  then  the  rattle  of  some  heavy  chains.  Stan- 
ley turned  pale  and  began  to  tremble,  but  the 
Rovers  were  not  much  impressed. 

"We  don't  believe  in  ghosts,  so  you  might  as 
well  let  us  out!"  cried  Dick.  "That  stuff  you 
set  on  fire  is  smothering  us!" 

At  this  there  was  a  murmur  from  the  next 
room,  but  what  was  said  the  prisoners  did  not 
know. 

"Come  on,  let  us  get  out  of  a  window!"  cried 
Tom.  His  head  was  commencing  to  swim,  and 
he  could  hardly  see. 

"Tha — that's  it,"  murmured  Sam.  "Say,  I'm 

— I'm — going "  He  did  not  finish,  but  sank 

to  the  floor  in  a  heap. 

"Sam  has  been  overcome!"  cried  Dick  in  hor- 
ror. 

"Oh,  if  only  we  hadn't  come  here!"  groaned 
Stanley.  "I — the  window — I — am — smother- 
ing!" He  took  another  step  forward  and  then 
fell.  Dick  tried  to  pick  him  up,  but  went  down 
also,  with  his  brain  in  a  whirl  and  strange  lights 
flashing  before  his  closed  eyes. 

Tom  was  the  last  to  be  overcome.  He  reached 
a  window,  only  to  find  it  tightly  locked.  He 
smashed  the  glass,  but  could  not  open  the  blinds. 
Then  he  went  down;  but  before  he  closed  his 


254  THE  RO VER  80 yS  A  f  COLLEGE 

eyes  he  saw  the  door  to  the  kitchen  open  and 
several  masked  faces  appeared.  He  tried  to  say 
something,  but  the  words  would  not  come,  and 
then  all  became  a  terrible  dark  blank  around 
him. 

For  about  half  a  minute  after  Tom  went  down 
nothing  was  done.  Then  the  door  to  the  kitchen 
was  thrown  wide  open  and  four  figures  appeared. 
All  wore  sheets  and  masks. 

"You  are  sure  it  won't  kill  any  of  them,  Par- 
wick?"  asked  a  voice  that  sounded  like  Jerry 
Koswell's,  and  which  was  far  from  steady. 

"Yes,  I'm  sure,"  answered  the  voice  of  a  stran- 
ger. "But  we  don't  want  to  leave  them  in  this 
room  too  long.  Take  'em  below." 

"If  we  get  found  out "  said  another,  and 

one  could  readily  recognize  Flockley's  voice. 

"We  won't  get  found  out,"  put  in  a  fourth 
person.  It  was  Larkspur.  "Come  ahead,  and 
don't  waste  time  here." 

With  great  haste  the  masked  ones  picked  up 
the  three  Rovers  and  Stanley  and  dragged  them 
into  the  kitchen  of  the  old  house.  Then  one 
after  another  the  unconscious  ones  were  taken 
down  into  a  dark  and  musty  cellar  and  placed 
on  some  straw. 

"Now  to  fix  up  the  evidence!"  cried  Koswell. 
"We  must  be  quick,  or  it  may  be  too  late!" 


IN  THE  HANDS  uF  THE  ENEMY          255 

For  all  of  a  quarter  of  an  hour  the  three  Rover 
boys  and  Stanley  Browne  lay  where  they  had 
been  placed  on  the  moldy  straw.  They  breathed 
with  difficulty,  for  the  strange  vapor  still  exer- 
cised its  influence  on  their  lungs. 

At  last  Sam  stirred  and  opened  his  eyes. 

"Wha — what's  the  matter  with  me?"  he  mur- 
mured, and  then  sat  up. 

He  could  see  next  to  nothing,  for  the  cellar 
was  dark.  His  head  ached  keenly,  and  he  could 
not  collect  his  senses.  He  also  felt  somewhat 
sick  at  the  stomach. 

"Dick!    Tom!' he  called.    "Where  are  you?" 

There  was  no  reply,  but  presently  he  heard 
somebody  stir. 

"Don't — don't  kill  me!"  murmured  Stanley. 
"Take  the  ghosts  away!" 

"Stanley!"  called  Sam.  "Whe— where  are 
we?" 

"Who — who  is  tha — that?"  stammered  Stan- 
ley, sitting  up. 

"It  is  I— Sam!" 

"Whe — where  are  we,  Sam?" 

"I— I  don't  know." 

"My  head  is  go — going  around  like — like  a 
top." 

"So  is  mine.    Tom!    Dick!" 


256  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"Is  that  you,  Sam?"  came  faintly  from  the 
elder  Rover  as  he  opened  his  eyes. 

"Yes.    Where  is  Tom?" 

"Here,  I  guess,  beside  me."  Dick  shook  his 
brother.  "Tom!  Tom!  Wake  up!"  he  cried. 
But  Tom  continued  to  lay  quiet  with  his  eyes 
tightly  closed. 

Sam  was  feeling  in  his  pocket  for  a  matchbox, 
and  presently  he  brought  the  article  forth  and 
made  a  light.  He  was  still  so  dizzy  he  could 
scarcely  see  about  him.  Stanley  had  fallen  back 
again,  gasping  for  breath. 

By  the  dim  light  afforded  by  the  match  the 
two  brothers  looked  at  Tom.  He  was  gasping 
in  a  strange,  unnatural  fashion. 

"I  believe  he  is  choking  to  death!"  said  Dick 
hoarsely.  "Air!  He  must  have  air!"  He  arose 
unsteadily  to  his  feet.  "Bring  him  here!" 

And  he  made  for  a  closed  cellar  window  with 
all  the  strength  he  could  command. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

THE  EVIDENCE  AGAINST  THEM 

FORTUNATELY  a  loose  brick  lay  handy  and  with 
this  Dick  smashed  out  the  panes  of  glass  in  the 
cellar  window.  Another  window  was  opposite, 
and  this  he  likewise  demolished.  At  once  a  cur- 
rent of  pure  air  swept  through  the  place. 

"Hold  him  up  to  the  window,"  said  Dick  as 
he  staggered  around.  And  he  and  Sam  raised 
Tom  up  as  best  they  could. 

"If  we  could  only  get  outside,"  mumbled  Sam. 
His  head  was  aching  worse  than  ever. 

"I'll  see  what  I  can  do,"  answered  his  oldest 
brother,  and  stumbled  up  the  narrow  stairs.  To 
his  joy,  the  door  above  leading  to  the  kitchen 
of  the  house  was  unfastened. 

Not  without  great  labor  did  the  two  brothers 
carry  Tom  to  the  floor  above.  Then  they  went 
after  Stanley,  who  was  conscious,  but  too  weak 
to  walk.  As  they  stumbled  around  they  sent 
several  empty  liquor  bottles  spinning  across  the 
floor,  and  one  was  smashed  into  pieces. 
257 


258  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"I  wish  I  knew  how  to  revive  him,"  said  Dick 
as  he  and  Sam  placed  Tom  near  the  open  door- 
way. "Wonder  if  there  is  any  water  handy?" 

"Oh,  my  poor  head!"  came  from  Stanley.  "I 
feel  as  if  I  had  been  drinking  for  a  month!" 

"Wonder  what  it  was?"  murmured  Sam.  "I 
— I  can't  make  it  out  at  all." 

"Nor  I,"  added  Dick.  "But  come,  we  must 
do  what  we  can  for  Tom."  And  he  commenced 
to  loosen  his  unconscious  brother's  tie  and  col- 
lar. 

Suddenly  a  form  darkened  the  outer  doorway 
of  the  kitchen,  and  to  the  surprise  of  the  boys 
Professor  Abner  Sharp  showed  himself.  He  was 
accompanied  by  Professor  Blackie. 

"Ha!  So  we  have  caught  you,  have  we?"  cried 
Professor  Sharp,  in  tones  of  evident  satisfaction. 
"Nice  doings,  these,  for  students  of  Brill.  Aren't 
you  ashamed  of  yourselves?"  And  he  glared 
maliciously  at  the  Rovers  and  Stanley  Browne. 

"Oh,  Professor,  can  you — er — help  us?"  mur- 
mured Stanley.  "We — er — are  in  a  lot  of  trou- 
ble." 

"So  I  see,"  answered  Abner  Sharp  chillily. 
"Nice  doings,  I  declare!  Don't  you  think  so?" 
he  added  to  the  other  professor. 

"It  is  too  bad,"  murmured  Professor  Blackie. 
"I  thought  them  all  rather  nice  lads." 


THE  EVIDENCE  AGAINST  THEM 


259 


Dick's  head  was  still  dizzy,  so  he  could  not 
catch  the  import  of  the  professor's  words.  He 
continued  to  work  over  Tom,  who  just  then 
opened  his  eyes. 

"Gi — give  me  a — a  drink!"  murmured  poor 
Tom.  His  throat  seemed  to  be  on  fire. 

"Not  another  drop!"  shouted  Professor  Sharp. 
"Not  one!  This  is  disgraceful!  Look  at  what 
they  have  been  drinking  already!"  And  he 
pointed  to  the  bottles  scattered  around. 

"Say!  What's  the  matter  with  you?"  asked 
Sam,  sleepily  and  angrily.  He  was  doing  his 
best  to  pull  his  wits  together,  and  thus  over- 
come the  effects  of  the  strange  vapor. 

"There  is  nothing  the  matter  with  me!" 
roared  Professor  Sharp.  "The  matter  is  with 
you,  Rover.  You  have  been  drinking  too  much." 

"Me?  Drinking?"  stammered  Sam.  "No, 
sir!" 

"Rover,  you  may  as  well  admit  it,"  came  from 
Professor  Blackie.  "It  is  a  sad  state  of  affairs." 

"But  I  haven't  been  drinking." 

"We  know  better.  Look  at  the  evidence!" 
roared  Abner  Sharp,  pointing  to  the  bottles. 
"Why,  your  very  clothing  smells  of  rum!"  he 
added,  smelling  of  Dick's  shoulder. 

"Sam  has  told  you  the  truth.  We  haven'* 
been  drinking,"  said  Dick. 


260  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"Rover,  it  would  be  better  if  you  did  not  add 
falsehoods  to  your  other  shortcomings/'  said 
Professor  Blackie.  He  was  usually  a  very  mild 
man,  and  had  little  to  say  outside  of  the  class- 
room. 

"You  are  mistaken/'  murmured  Dick.  It  was 
all  he  could  say,  for  he  was  still  too  bewildered 
to  make  a  clear  note  of  what  was  going  on. 

"This  one  seems  to  be  the  worst  of  all,"  said 
Abner  Sharp,  turning  to  Tom.  "He  must  have 
drunk  more  than  the  others." 

"He  will  have  to  sleep  it  off,"  answered  Pro- 
fessor Blackie.  "Too  bad!  Too  bad!  Why  will 
young  men  do  such  things?"  And  he  shook  his 
head  sorrowfully. 

"I  believe  what  the  note  said.  This  has  been 
a  regular  hangout  for  the  Rovers  and  their 
chums,"  said  Professor  Sharp  severely.  "It  is 
high  time  it  was  broken  up." 

"Yes,  yes,"  answered  the  other  instructor. 
"How  shall  we — er — get  them  back  to  Brill?" 

"I'll  see  about  that.  They  must  have  some 
sort  of  a  carriage  here,  or  maybe  somebody  was 
going  to  call  for  them." 

"Shall  I  take  a  look  around?" 

"If  you  will." 

Professor  Blackie  looked  around  the  house 
and  grounds  and  then  went  through  the  tangle 


THE  EVIDENCE  AGAINST  THEM          261 

of  a  garden  to  the  roadway.  He  espied  Song- 
bird coming  along,  driving  the  team  rapidly  and 
singing  to  himself.  Songbird  had  passed  an  all- 
too-short  hour  with  Minnie  Sanderson. 

"Stop,  Powell!"  cried  the  professor. 

"I  was  going  to,  sir,"  answered  the  would-be 
poet  cheerily.  "How  is  this,  Professor  Blackie? 
Did  you  come  to  hunt  for  the  ghost,  too?" 

"Ghost?  I  came  for  no  ghosts — since  there 
are  no  ghosts,"  was  the  quiet  answer.  "Were 
you  to  stop  here?" 

"Yes,  sir,  to  pick  up  the  three  Rovers  and 
Stanley  Browne.  They  must  be  somewhere 
about.  They  came  to  explore  the  old  house  and 
to  settle  this  ghost  story." 

"I  think  they  came  more  for  spirits  than  for 
ghosts,"  answered  Professor  Blackie  .dryly. 
"Then  you  know  all  about  it,  eh?" 

"Why,  yes." 

"Then  you  knew  they  came  here  to  drink  and 
to  carouse  generally,"  went  on  the  instructor, 
and  his  voice  grew  stern. 

"Drink?  Carouse?  What  are  you  talking 
about?"  gasped  Songbird.  "The  Rovers  don't 
drink  at  all,  and  Stanley  Browne  drinks  very 
little." 

"Of  course  you  wish  to  shield  them,  but  it 
will  do  little  good,  Powell.  Professor  Sharp  re- 


262  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

ceived  word  of  what  was  going  on,  and  he  asked 
me  to  accompany  him  here.  We  have  seen  a 
sad  sight.  What  Doctor  Wallington  will  say 
when  he  hears  of  it,  I  cannot  tell.  I  am  afraid, 
however,  that  he  will  deal  severely  with  the  of- 
fenders." 

"Professor  Blackie,  what  you  say  is  a  riddle 
to  me,"  answered  Songbird.  "I  don't  under- 
stand you  at  all." 

"Then  come  with  me,  and  perhaps  you  will 
understand,"  was  the  instructor's  reply,  and  he 
led  the  way  to  the  rear  of  the  deserted  house. 

All  of  the  students  and  Professor  Sharp  were 
now  outside,  on  or  near  the  back  porch.  Torn 
had  recovered  his  senses,  and  Sam  had  obtained 
for  him  a  drink  of  water  from  an  old  well.  Much 
to  the  astonishment  of  the  students,  the  profes- 
sor had  caught  sight  of  a  liquor  flask  in  Tom's 
pocket,  and  had  snatched  it  away. 

"Here  is  evidence  you  cannot  deny!"  cried 
Abner  Sharp  in  triumph.  "All  but  empty,  too!" 
he  added,  after  shaking  the  flask  and  smelling 
of  it. 

"How  did  that — that  get  in  m — my  pocket?" 
mumbled  poor  Tom.    He  was  still  hazy  in  his' 
mind. 

"You  probably  know  better  than  anybody 
else,"  retorted  Professor  Sharp.  "And  you  can 


THE  EVIDENCE  AGAINST  THEM          263 

tell,  too,  where  the  liquor  went  to,"  he  contin- 
ued with  a  sneer. 

"You're  a — a — contemptible  old  sneak!"  cried 
Tom  wrathfully,  "and  if  I  didn't  feel  so — so  diz- 
zy I'd  knock  you  down!" 

"Tom !"  cried  Dick  warningly.  He  was  grow- 
ing a  little  clearer  in  his  mind,  and  could  see 
that  a  terrible  mistake  had  been  made. 

"You'll  not  knock  anybody  down,  you  young 
villain!"  roared  Abner  Sharp  in  a  rage.  "I'll 
teach  you  to  come  here  and  drink  and  carouse, 
and  bring  disgrace  upon  the  fair  name  of  Brill 
College!  I'll  have  you  dismissed  and  sent  home 
in  disgrace!" 

"You're  making  a  mistake "  began  Dick. 

"No,  there  is  no  mistake.  Of  course  you  wish 
to  hide  the  truth,  and  smooth  matters  over,  but 
it  won't  go  with  me,  nor  with  Professor  Blackie, 
either,"  stormed  Professor  Sharp.  "We  know 
what  we  see  and  what  we  smell.  You  young 
fellows  are  a  disgrace  to  Brill,  and  the  sooner 
everybody  knows  it,  the  better.  Now,  then, 
march  to  the  roadway,  every  one  of  you,  and  no 
more  back  talk!" 

"But,  sir "  began  Stanley  in  dismay. 

"Not  another  word!"  cried  Abner  Sharp.  "If 
you  have  anything  more  to  tell,  you  may  tell  it 
to  Doctor  Wellington." 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

IN  DISGRACE 

STILL  dizzy  from  the  effects  of  the  strange 
vapor,  the  students  were  driven  rapidly  over  the 
country  roads  in  the  direction  of  Brill  College. 
The  fresh  air  served  to  make  them  feel  a  little 
better,  but  all  were  far  from  clear  headed  when 
ushered  into  the  presence  of  Doctor  Walling- 
ton. 

"We  have  brought  them  back  with  us,  sir," 
said  Professor  Sharp  stiffly. 

The  president  of  the  college  gazed  keenly  at 
the  Rovers  and  Stanley.  They  looked  at  him 
in  return,  but  blinked  and  swayed  as  they  did 
so. 

"I  will  listen  to  the  story,"  said  Doctor  Wal- 
lington,  turning  to  the  two  instructors,  and  his 
voice  had  a  hard  tone  to  it  that  did  not  augur 
well  for  the  students. 

Thereupon  Professor  Sharp  told  how  he  had 
received  an  anonymous  note  stating  that  the 
264 


IN  DISGRACE  265 

Rovers  and  some  others  were  going  off  to  the 
old  Jamison  house  to  drink  and  gamble,  and  that 
it  was  thought  they  were  going  to  take  some 
innocent  outsider  with  them,  to  fleece  him  of  his 
i  money.  On  receiving  the  note  Abner  Sharp  had 
called  Professor  Blackie  into  consultation  with 
him,  and  had  gone  off,  after  leaving  word  for 
the  doctor  about  what  they  proposed  to  do. 

"We  found  them — the  three  Rovers  and  Stan- 
ley Browne — in  a  beastly  state,"  continued  Pro- 
fessor Sharp.  "Truly  beastly  state — with  empty 
liquor  bottles  and  flasks  strewn  around,  and 
Thomas  Rover  had  a  flask  in  his  pocket,  which 
I  took  from  him."  The  instructor  placed  the 
flask  on  the  president's  desk.  "There  were  also 
cigar  butts  scattered  around,  and  some  packs  of 
playing-cards." 

"Where  was  Powell?" 

"He  had  dropped  the  others  off  at  the  old 
house  and  gone  on  to  visit  some  folks  named 
Sanderson.  He  came  back  later." 

"Had  he  been  drinking,  too?" 

"I  do  not  think  so,"  answered  Professor 
Blackie. 

During  this  talk  Dick  and  his  brothers  and 
Stanley  stared  somewhat  vacantly  at  the  presi- 
dent and  the  professors.  The  students  wanted 


266  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

to  speak  several  times,  but  Doctor  Wallington 
waved  them  to  be  silent. 

"I  will  hear  what  you  have  to  say  after  Pro- 
fessor Sharp  and  Professor  Blackie  have  fin- 
ished," said  the  head  of  the  college. 

He  asked  the  instructors  a  great  number  of 
questions,  and  then  turned  to  Dick,  as  the  old- 
est of  the  boys. 

"Now,  then,  what  have  you  to  say  about  your 
disgraceful  conduct?"  he  demanded  severely. 
"Or  perhaps  it  would  be  as  well  to  postpone 
further  conversation  until  you  are  in  a  fit  con- 
dition to  tell  a  straight  story."  The  doctor  was 
sarcastic  as  well  as  severe. 

"I — I  am  not  well,  sir,"  said  Dick  in  a  low 
voice.  "None  of  us  are.  But  it  was  not  liquor 
that  did  it.  It  was  the  vapor." 

"Vapor?"  queried  Doctor  Wallington  in  per- 
plexity. 

"Yes,  sir." 

"What  do  you  suppose  he  means?"  and  now 
the  master  of  the  college  turned  to  Abner  Sharp. 

"When  we  found  them  in  such  a  sad  state  they 
tried  to  excuse  themselves  by  stating  that  a 
strange  vapor  had  made  them  sick,"  was  the  in- 
structor's reply.  "But  we  could  not  trace  any 
such  vapor.  I  feel  sure  it  is  merely  an  excuse." 

"You  ought  to  have  your  head  punched!" 


IN  DISGRACE  267 

growled  Tom.  He  was  still  sick,  and  the  sick- 
ness made  him  reckless. 

"Rover!  How  dare  you?"  exclaimed  Doctor 
Wallington  severely. 

"I  don't  care!  He  is  down  on  us,  me  espe- 
cially, and  he  wants  to  put  us  in  disgrace.  He's 
a  miserable  sneak,  that's  what  he  is!" 

"You  are  evidently  in  no  condition  to  tell 
your  story,  and  your  companions  are  little  bet- 
ter off,"  went  on  the  head  of  the  college.  He 
turned  to  the  two  professors.  "You  may  take 
them  up  to  rooms  77  and  78,  Mr.  Blackie.  I 
will  confer  with  you  further,  Mr.  Sharp." 

There  was  no  help  for  it,  and  with  their  heads 
still  in  a  whirl,  the  Rovers  and  Stanley  were 
taken  to  two  rooms  not  used  by  any  of  the  oth- 
er students.  The  rooms  were  in  an  angle  of  the 
building,  away  from  all  others.  They  had  a 
smalt  hallway  of  their  own,  with  a  door  shut- 
ting it  of)'  from  the  main  hall. 

Professor  Blackie  marched  the  boys  into  the 
rooms,  and  saw  to  it  that  they  had  a  pitcher  of 
fresh  drinking  water. 

"You  will  have  to  remain  here  until  Doctor 
Wallington  sends  for  you,"  said  the  instructor, 
and  walked  out  of  the  room.  The  boys  heard  him 
pass  through  the  little  hall  and  close  and  lock 
the  door  to  the  main  hall. 


268  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"Prisoners!  What  do  you  think  of  that?" 
cried  Sam. 

"It  is  carrying  matters  with  a  high  hand,"  an- 
swered Dick.  He  placed  a  hand  on  his  forehead. 
"How  my  head  aches!" 

"Same  here,"  answered  Stanley.  "I  am  going 
to  rest,"  he  added,  and  threw  himself  on  one 
of  the  beds. 

The  others  were  glad  to  rest,  also,  and  soon 
all  were  occupying  the  beds  the  connecting 
rooms  contained.  They  left  the  windows  wide 
open,  so  that  they  might  get  all  the  fresh  air 
possible.  Strange  to  say,  each  was  soon  in  a 
profound  slumber. 

While  they  were  sleeping  they  did  not  know 
that  Professor  Sharp  came  in  to  see  if  they 
wanted  any  supper.  Seeing  them  sleeping  so 
soundly,  he  notified  Doctor  Wallington. 

"Do  not  disturb  them,"  said  the  president  of 
Brill.  "Sleep  will  do  them  more  good  than  any- 
thing. I  doubt  if  they  care  to  eat."  And  he 
heaved  a  sigh  as  he  thought  of  the  problem  be- 
fore him.  He  liked  the  Rovers  and  Stanley 
Browne,  but  according  to  what  he  had  seen  and 
been  told,  some  of  the  strictest  rules  of  Brill 
had  been  violated,  and  it  would  be  impossible 
for  him  to  pass  the  affair  by  or  mete  out  ordi- 
nary punishment. 


IN  DISGRACE  269 

"I  am  afraid  I  shall  have  to  dismiss  them,"  he 
told  himself.  "Too  bad!" 

In  some  manner  the  story  leaked  out,  and  by 
Sunday  noon  all  the  students  at  Brill  knew  that 
the  Rovers  and  Stanley  were  in  disgrace,  and 
in  danger  of  dismissal.  A  few  sided  with  the 
boys,  but  the  majority  shook  their  heads. 

"They  had  no  business  to  go  off  on  such  a 
lark,"  said  one  of  the  seniors.  "It's  a  disgrace 
to  the  whole  college.  If  they  are  sent  home  it 
will  serve  them  right." 

Koswell  and  Larkspur  were  in  high  glee  over 
the  success  of  their  plot,  and  when  alone  winked 
at  each  other  and  poked  each  other  in  the  ribs. 

"They'll  get  what's  coming  to  'em  this  trip," 
said  Bart  Larkspur  with  a  chuckle.  "They'll  be 
lucky  if  they  are  not  sent  home." 

"And  we'll  rub  it  in,  too,"  added  Koswell. 
"You  know  how  those  Rovers  are  dead  stuck  on 
those  girls  at  Hope." 

"Sure." 

"Well,  I'll  fix  it  so  those  girls  hear  all  about 
this  affair." 

"Good!"  cried  Larkspur.  "That  will  be  the 
bitterest  dose  of  all." 

"Say,"  put  in  Dudd  Flockley  nervously,  "you 
don't  suppose  there  is  any  danger  of  our  being 
found  out?" 


270  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"Not  the  slightest,"  answered  Koswell.  "I 
saw  to  it  that  all  our  tracks  were  covered." 

"But  that  fellow  Parwick?    Are  you  certain 
'lie  can  be  trusted?" 

i  "Yes.  But  we  have  got  to  pay  him  for  his 
trouble.  I  promised  him  twenty  dollars.  I'll 
give  him  half  and  you  can  give  him  the  other 
half,"  answered  Koswell.  He  knew  Larkspur 
had  no  spending  money. 

"Oh,  I'm  willing  to  pay  him  his  price,"  said 
the  dudish  student.  "But  I  want  to  be  dead 
certain  that  he  will  keep  his  mouth  shut." 

"I'll  make  him  do  tbits"  returned  Jerry  Kos- 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 
DARK  DAYS 

THE  Rovers  and  Stanley  Browne  were  kept  in 
the  rooms  until  Monday  morning.  During  that 
time  their  meals  were  sent  to  them,  and  Pro- 
fessor Sharp  came  to  see  them  twice. 

"Doctor  Wellington  will  dispose  of  your  case 
on  Monday,"  said  the  instructor. 

"I  think  we  should  have  had  a  doctor,"  said 
Dick.  "All  of  us  were  sick,  and  needed  medical 
attention." 

"Nonsense!"  cried  Abner  Sharp.  "You  have 
sobered  up,  and  that  was  all  that  was  needed." 

This  assertion  led  to  a  war  of  words,  and  Tom 
came  close  to  whacking  the  unreasonable  teach- 
er over  the  head  with  the  water  pitcher.  As  a 
consequence,  Abner  Sharp  ran  out  of  the  room 
in  fear  and  reported  to  the  head  of  the  institu- 
tion that  he  had  been  assaulted. 

On  Monday  morning  the  four  boys  were  told 
to  go  down  and  report  at  the  president's  office. 
271 


272  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

Previous  to  this  they  had  held  a  "council  of 
war,"  as  Sam  expressed  it,  and  made  Dick  their 
spokesman. 

"Now,  then,  as  you  appear  to  be  sober,  I  will 
listen  to  your  story,"  said  Doctor  Wallington. 
He  was  the  only  other  person  present.  "And 
remember,"  he  added  sharply,  "I  want  nothing 
but  the  truth.  You  cannot  hope  for  any  len- 
iency on  my  part  unless  you  tell  me  everything." 

"That  is  what  we  propose  to  do,  sir,"  an- 
swered Dick,  looking  the  doctor  full  in  the  eyes. 
"My  brothers  and  Stanley  have  asked  me  to  do 
the  talking  for  all  of  us.  Shall  I  tell  my  story 
now?" 

"Yes." 

Thereupon  Dick  told  his  tale  from  beginning 
to  end,  very  much  as  I  have  set  it  down  here. 
He,  of  course,  could  tell  nothing  of  the  actions 
of  Koswell  and  his  crowd,  for  he  had  been  un- 
conscious most  of  the  time. 

"Certainly  a  remarkable  story,"  mused  Doc- 
tor Wallington,  when  the  oldest  Rover  had  fin- 
ished. "And  you  mean  to  say  you  did  not  drink 
any  of  the  liquor?" 

"Not  a  drop,  sir;  and  neither  did  the  others." 

"And  this  vapor?  What  was  it,  and  how  do 
you  account  for  it?"  The  doctor's  tones  were 
very  sceptical. 


DARK  DAYS 


273 


"I  can't  account  for  it,  excepting  by  thinking 
it  was  part  of  a  plot  against  us." 

"Hum!"  The  doctor  turned  to  Stanley. 
"Have  you  anything  to  add  to  Rover's  story?" 

"Nothing,  sir,  excepting  that  it  is  absolutely 
true,  Doctor  Wallington." 

After  this  the  boys  were  questioned  for  the 
best  part  of  an  hour,  but  without  shaking  their' 
testimony  in  the  least.      Then    Songbird    was 
called  in,  and  he  told  what  he  knew. 

"If  your  story  is  true,  it  is  a  most  extraordi- 
nary occurrence,"  said  the  head  of  Brill  at  last. 
"But  I  must  confess  that  I  can  scarcely  credit 
such  a  tale.  However,  I  will,  for  the  time  being, 
give  you  the  benefit  of  the  doubt,  and  in  the 
meantime  make  some  investigations  on  my  own 
account.  If  I  find  you  have  not  told  the  truth 
I  shall  dismiss  you  from  the  college.  Do  you 
understand  that?" 

To  this  the  students  bowed. 

"One  thing  more.  All  of  you  may  return  to 
your  classes  but  Thomas  Rover.  He  has  an 
extra  charge  against  him,  that  of  assaulting  Pro- 
fessor Sharp.  Thomas  Rover,  you  will  remain 
here.  The  rest  of  you  can  go." 

With  strange  feelings  in  their  hearts  Dick, 
Sam  and  Stanley,  accompanied  by  Songbird,  left 


274  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

the  office.  They  had  been  heard,  but  had  not 
been  believed. 

"We  may  be  dismissed  from  here,  after  all," 
said  Sam  bitterly. 

"What  a  shame!"  cried  Songbird.  "Oh,  if 
you  could  only  find  out  who  did  it,  and  expose 
them!" 

The  boys  went  back  to  their  classes  with 
heavy  hearts.  They  saw  a  number  of  the  other 
students  looking  at  them  questioningly. 

Jerry  Koswell  saw  them  return,  and  was  much 
astonished.  Had  his  plot  to  put  them  in  dis- 
grace miscarried,  after  all?  Larkspur,  too,  was 
perplexed.  Flockley  was  a  bit  relieved,  and  half 
hoped  the  whole  matter  would  blow  over  and 
nothing  more  be  heard  of  it. 

The  day  went  by,  and  the  other  lads  did  not 
see  Tom.  But  they  saw  him  in  the  evening,  just 
before  supper. 

"Well,  how  did  you  make  out?"  asked  Dick 
eagerly. 

"Got  a  vacation,"  was  Tom's  laconic  answer. 

"Dismissed?"  asked  the  others  in  concert. 

"No,  suspended  until  Doctor  Wallington  can 
investigate  the  whole  matter  more  thoroughly. 
He  wanted  me  to  apologize  to  Sharp,  and  I  said 
flatly  that  I  wouldn't  do  it,  because  I  hadn't 
anything  to  apologize  for.  He  got  mad  at  first, 


DARK  DAYS  275 

and  threatened  me  with  instant  dismissal.  Then 
I  warmed  up,  and  said  I  was  innocent  of  all 
wrongdoing,  and  perhaps  I'd  be  able  to  prove 
it  some  day,  and  if  so,  and  I  was  dismissed,  I'd 
sue  the  college  for  loss  of  reputation.  That 
brought  matters  to  a  head,  and  I  guess  the  doc- 
tor saw  I  was  in  deadly  earnest.  He  told  me  I 
could  consider  myself  suspended  for  two  weeks, 
or  until  he  could  get  to  the  bottom  of  the  af- 
fair. So  I've  got  a  holiday." 

"I'm  glad  you  didn't  apologize  to  Sharp,"  said 
Sam. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  with  yourself — go 
home?"  asked  Dick. 

"No.  I  am  going  to  move  to  Ashton,  and 
then  try  to  get  to  the  bottom  of  this  matter." 

"The  doctor  will  send  a  letter  home." 

"So  will  I,  and  you  must  do  the  same.  I  think 
father  will  believe  us." 

Tom  left  that  night,  and  established  himself 
at  the  leading  hotel  in  Ashton. 

News  travels  swiftly,  and  Koswell  and  his  co- 
Ihorts  took  care  that  the  girls  at  Hope  should 
hear  the  story  about  the  Rovers  and  Stanley  and 
their  supposed  disgraceful  doings.  Dora,  Nellie 
and  Grace  could  scarcely  believe  their  ears  when 
they  heard  it. 


276  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"This  is  awful!"  murmured  Dora,  and  the 
tears  came  to  her  eyes. 

"I  don't  believe  one  word  of  it!"  cried  Nellie 
with  spirit. 

"But  Torn  has  been  suspended,"  said  Grace. 
"And  think  of  poor  Sam  and  Dick!"  And  her 
heart  sank  like  lead  within  her  bosom. 

"I  am  going  to  send  Dick  a  note  right  away," 
said  Dora.  "I  cannot  bear  this  suspense." 

"But  you  don't  think  Dick  is  guilty,  do  you?" 
asked  Nellie. 

"No.  But — but  the  disgrace!  It  is  terrible!" 
And  now  Dora  burst  out  crying  in  earnest. 

The  note  from  Dora  reached  Dick  the  follow- 
ing day,  in  the  afternoon  mail.  It  was  short, 
but  to  the  point,  reading  as  follows: 

"DEAR  DICK:  We  have  just  heard  something 
awful  about  you  and  Tom  and  Sam.  Tell  us 
what  it  means.  Of  course  we  don't  believe  you 
have  done  anything  wrong. 

"Yours, 

"DORA." 

This  note  disturbed  Dick  and  Sam  greatly,  for 
they  could  understand  how  the  evil  report  con- 
cerning them  had  been  circulated  at  Hope  Semi- 
nary, and  how  the  girls  had  suffered  in  conse- 
quence. 


DARK  DAYS 


277 


"I  am  glad  they  think  we  are  innocent,"  said 
Sam. 

"They  couldn't  do  anything  else,  knowing  us 
as  they  do,"  returned  his  brother.  And  then  he 
sent  a  note  back  stating  that  the  reports  were 
all  falsehoods,  and  asking  them  to  meet  Tom 
and  themselves  on  the  following  Saturday  at 
Ashton. 

"Perhaps  Tom  will  have  something  to  report 
by  that  time,"  said  Dick. 

The  time  to  Saturday  dragged  miserably.  The 
boys  could  not  set  their  minds  on  their  lessons, 
and  as  a  consequence  got  some  poor  marks.  For 
this  Professor  Blackie  gave  them  a  lecture. 

"You  ought  to  show  your  appreciation  of 
what  Doctor  Wallington  has  done  in  your  case," 
said  the  instructor. 

"We  can't  settle  down  to  lessons  with  this 
cloud  hanging  over  us,"  answered  Dick  frankly. 

"It  has  got  to  be  cleared  away,  or "  he  did 

not  finish. 

"Or  what,  Rorer?" 

"Or  I'm  afraid  we'll  have  to  leave,  even  if 
we  are  not  dismissed,"  was  the  slow  answer,  and 
Dick  breathed  a  deep  sigh. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

WHAT  THE  GIRLS  DISCOVERED 

THE  Rover  boys  sent  letters  to  their  father, 
and  on  Saturday  morning  came  replies  from  Mr. 
Rover.  He  said  he  was  both  surprised  and 
shocked  at  what  had  occurred,  and  added  that 
if  they  needed  his  aid  he  would  come  on  at  once. 
He  showed  that  he  believed  them  innocent,  for 
which  they  were  thankful. 

"Here  is  more  news,"  said  Dick.  "The  case 
of  Tad  Sobber  against  the  Stanhopes  and  the 
Lanings  comes  up  in  court  next  Tuesday;  that 
is,  they  are  going  to  argue  the  question  of  the 
injunction  on  that  day." 

"That  will  make  Mrs.  Stanhope  and  Mrs.  Lan- 
ing  very  anxious." 

"Yes,  and  the  girls,  too,  Sam." 

"Well,  we  are  anxious,  too.  Oh,  I  do  hope 
our  side  wins!"  cried  Sam  wistfully.  "It  would 
set  me  wild  to  see  Tad  Sobber  get  all  that 
money!" 

278 


WHAT  THE  GIRLS  DISCOVERED 


279 


Dick  and  Sam  were  to  meet  Tom  in  Ashton 
at  three  o'clock,  and  all  hoped  that  the  girls 
would  come  later.     Stanley  could  not  go,  for 
he  had  a  Latin  composition  to  write. 
'      When  the  Rovers  reached  the  hotel  in  Ash- 
jton  they  found  Tom  impatiently  awaiting  them. 
By  the  look  on  his  face  they  knew  he  had  some- 
thing to  tell. 

"Come  up  to  my  room,"  he  said,  and  led  the 
way  to  the  apartment,  located  on  the  second 
floor,  front. 

"You  can  sit  by  the  window,  Dick,  and  keep 
a  lookout  for  the  girls,"  said  Sam. 

"Yes,  they'll  be  here  in  about  an  hour,"  said 
Tom.  "They  telephoned  this  morning." 

"Well,  what  have  you  discovered — anything?" 
demanded  Dick  impatiently. 

"I  think  I  am  on  the  right  track,"  answered 
Tom.     "Let  me  tell  you  what  I've  done.     In 
the  first  place,  I  visited  the  haunted  house  yes- 
terday morning,  and  went  through  it  from  cel- 
tlar  to  garret." 

"Alone?"  queried  Sam. 

"Yes,  alone.  But  I  carried  a  pistol,  and  I  had 
it  ready  for  use,  too." 

"I  don't  blame  you,"  murmured  Dick.  "And 
I  guess  you  looked  to  see  if  the  doors  were  open, 
too." 


280  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

"I  did,  and  smashed  out  several  windows  in 
the  bargain.  The  first  place  I  investigated  was 
that  fireplace,  and  in  it  I  found  this."  And  Tom 
held  up  a  bit  of  white  paper.  On  it  was  printed: 

m  B.  Schlemp 
uggist. 
ain  St. 

"That  is  from  a  druggist,"  said  Dick. 

"Exactly.  I  figure  out  the  name  is  William 
B.  Schlemp,  that  he  is  a  druggist,  and  that  he 
is  doing  business  at  some  number  on  Main 
Street,"  came  from  Tom.  "But  I  figure  out 
more  than  that." 

"What?" 

"The  paper  was  crumpled  up,  and  had  in  it 
a  few  grains  of  a  gray  powder.  I  set  the  powder 
on  fire  and  got  that  strange  vapor  that  almost 
strangled  us." 

"You  did !"  cried  Sam.  "Then  that  stuff  came 
from  that  druggist  beyond  a  doubt." 

"So  I  figure  it.  But  there  is  no  druggist 
named  Schlemp  here,"  went  on  Tom,  "and  the 
druggist  here  doesn't  know  of  such  a  fellow." 

"I  know  what  we  can  do,"  cried  Dick.  "Don't 
you  remember,  Dan  Baxter  said  he  had  worked 


WHAT  THE  GIRLS  DISCOVERED         28 1 

for  a  wholesale  drug  house?  We  can  telegraph 
and  ask  him  if  he  knows  of  this  Schlemp." 

"Then  let  us  do  it  at  once,"  said  Tom.  "I 
have  his  route — the  one  he  said  he  was  to  fol- 
low." 

A  few  minutes  later  the  following  message 
,  was  being  flashed  over  the  wires  to  Dan  Baxter, 
then  supposed  to  be  located  at  Detroit: 

"Send  full  name  and  address  of  Blank  B. 
Schlemp,  druggist,  at  once.  Highly  important. 

"Thomas  Rover, 

"Ashton  Hotel." 

"That  was  about  all  I  found  at  the  haunted 
house  that  was  important,"  said  Tom  after  the 
message  had  gone.  "But  I've  found  out  some- 
thing here  that  may  lead  to  something  else  of 
value." 

"What  is  that  ?"  questioned  Sam. 

"There  is  a  fellow  hanging  around  here  named 
Henry  Parwick.  He  is  rather  dissipated,  and 
does  not  seem  to  work  for  a  living.  One  night 
this  Parwick  had  been  drinking  pretty  freely, 
and  he  got  into  a  quarrel  with  one  of  his  com- 
panions. They  taunted  each  other  about  money, 
and  Parwick  said  he  had  some  good  friends  up 
to  Brill  who  would  give  him  all  the  cash  he 


282  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

wanted.  The  other  fellow  wanted  to  know 
that  was,  and  Parwick  winked  one  eye  and  an- 
swered, 'Oh,  there's  a  reason,  Buddy,  a  good 
reason.  They  wouldn't  dare  to  refuse  me.'  Since 
that  time  I  have  seen  Parwick  talking  to  Jerry 
Koswell  and  Bart  Larkspur." 

"Do  you  think  this  Parwick  helped  Koswell 
and  the  others  in  a  plot  against  us?"  asked  Dick. 

"It  may  be  so.  Anyway,  I  think  Parwick  has 
some  kind  of  a  hold  on  Koswell,  for  I  saw  Jerry- 
give  him  some  money." 

"This  is  certainly  interesting,"  mused  Dick. 
"Do  you  suppose  we  could  corner  this  Parwick 
and  get  him  to  talk?" 

"We  might,  but  I  have  another  plan." 

"What  is  that?" 

"To  watch  Parwick,  and  follow  him  when  I 
think  he  is  going  to  meet  Koswell  and  the  oth- 
ers. I  may  be  able  to  overhear  their  talk." 

"Good!" 

After  that  Dick  and  Sam  told  Tom  of  what 
had  occurred  at  the  college  since  their  brother 
had  left.  Sam  was  just  relating  the  particulars 
of  a  stormy  interview  with  Professor  Sharp  when 
Dick  uttered  a  cry. 

"Look!  Here  comes  Dora,  and  she  is  run- 
ning!" 

One  after  another  the  brothers  ran  down  to 


WHAT  THE  GIRLS  DISCOVERED          283 

the  ground  floor  of  the  hotel  and  hurried  oufc- 
side. 

"Oh,  I  am  so  glad  I  found  you  all  together!" 
vried  Dora,  panting  for  breath.  "Come  quick"' 

"Where  to?"  queried  Dick. 

"Down  the  road  about  half  a  mile.  We  just 
saw  that  Jerry  Koswell  and  Bart  Larkspur,  and 
they  are  having  a  quarrel  with  a  man  who  acts  as 
if  he  was  half  intoxicated." 

"It  must  be  Henry  Parwick!"  ejaculated  Tom. 

"Yes,  his  name  is  Parwick,"  said  Dora.  "We 
heard  Koswell  mention  it." 

"Where  are  they?"  asked  Sam  as  the  whole 
party  hurried  down  the  main  street  and  out  of 
Ashton,  Dora  leading  the  way. 

"They  are  at  a  cottage  where  an  old  woman 
named  Brice  lives.  We  were  going  to  stop  for 
a  drink  of  water  when  we  heard  voices,  and  saw 
the  young  men.  Then  Nellie  and  Grace  heard 
them  mention  you,  and  they  asked  me  to  come 
here  and  get  you  just  as  quickly  as  possible. 
They  sa4d  they  would  remain,  and,  if  possible, 
hear  what  it  was  all  about." 

"I  think  we  are  on  the  right  track!"  cried 
Dick  joyfully.  "Maybe  matters  will  come  to  a 
head  quicker  than  we  imagined." 

"Dick,  you  stay  with  Dora!"  cried  Tom. 
"Come  on,  Sam!"  And  off  the  two  brothers 


284  THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

sped  at  top  speed,  leaving  Dick  and  Dora  to 
follow  as  rapidly  as  the  strength  of  the  girl 
would  permit. 

Curiosity  lent  strength  to  the  legs  of  the  two 
Rovers,  and  they  covered  the  distance  to  the 
Brice  cottage  in  an  incredibly  short  space  of 
time.  As  they  came  into  view  they  beheld 
Grace  watching  for  them.  She  held  up  her  hand 
for  caution.  She  was  standing  in  among  some 
bushes  by  the  roadside. 

"Be  careful,  or  those  wicked  boys  will  see 
you!"  she  cried  in  a  low  voice.  "They  are  back 
of  the  cottage,  near  the  barn." 

"Where  is  Nellie?"  asked  Tom. 

"She  is  watching  them." 

"Have  you  learned  anything?"  asked  Sam. 

"Yes,  indeed.  We  have  learned  that  Koswell, 
Larkspur  and  Flockley  were  guilty  of  this  plot 
against  you,  and  that  a  man  named  Parwick 
aided  them  by  getting  a  strange  powder  for 
them,  the  powder  that  made  you  dizzy  and 
jSick,"  were  Grace's  words,  and  they  filled  th« 
Rovers  with  much  satisfaction. 


CHAPTER  XXX 

A  BEGINNING  AND  AN  ENDING 

"!T  was  Allan  Charter's  coming  that  clinched 
matters,"  said  Tom.  "Doctor  Wallington  might 
not  have  believed  us,  but  he  had  to  believe  Char- 
ter." 

"He  had  to  believe  the  girls,  too,"  added 
Dick.  "He  knew  they  would  not  tell  him  such 
falsehoods.  But  I  am  glad  Charter  came  along. 
He  hated  to  get  mixed  up  in  it,  I  know,  but  he 
acted  the  man  about  it,  didn't  he?" 

"Wonder  what  the  doctor  will  do  with  Kos- 
well  &  Company?"  questioned  Sam. 

"Fire  'em,  most  likely,  and  they  deserve  to- 
be  fired,"  growled  Stanley.  "Oh,  when  I  think 
of  the  trick  that  was  played  I  feel  like  wiping 
up  the  floor  with  every  one  of  those  scoundrels  1" 

"It  was  certainly  a  bit  of  dirty  work,"  was 
Dick's  comment. 

The  boys  were  seated  in  Sam  and  Tom's  room, 
talking  it  over.  It  was  Sunday  afternoon,  and 
285 


286  THE  RO VER  -BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

outside  the  sun  shone  brightly  and  a  light  breeze 
stirred  the  trees. 

It  had  proved  a  strenuous  Saturday  afternoon 
and  evening.  Dick  and  Dora  had  come  up, 
meeting  Allan  Charter,  the  leading  senior  of 
Brill,  on  the  way.  They  had  persuaded  Charter 
to  accompany  them  to  the  Brice  cottage,  and 
there  all  had  witnessed  a  bitter  quarrel  between 
Henry  Parwick  and  Koswell,  Larkspur  and 
Flockley.  Parwick  was  semi-intoxicated,  and  in 
a  maudlin  way  had  exposed  all  that  had  been 
•done  at  the  haunted  house.  He  had  spoken 
about  getting  the  powder  for  them,  and  men- 
tioned how  Koswell  had  fixed  a  fuse  and  lit  it, 
and  he  told  of  getting  the  liquor  bottles  and 
flasks  and  other  things.  He  had  warmed  up 
-during  his  recital,  and  had  demanded  fifty  dol- 
lars on  the  spot.  When  refused  he  had  threat- 
ened to  go  to  the  Brill  authorities  and  "blow 
everything."  Then  Koswell  had  threatened,  if 
this  was  done,  that  he  would  have  Parwick  ar- 
rested for  robbing  his  former  employer,  William 
Schlemp.  Then  had  come  blows,  and  in  the 
midst  of  this  Charter  had  stepped  forward  and 
confronted  the  evildoers. 

"We  have  seen  and  heard  all,"  he  had  said 
sternly.  "I  am  a  witness,  and  so  are  these  young 
ladies.  You,  Koswell,  Flockley  and  Larkspur, 


A  BEGINNING  AND  AN  ENDING          287 

ought  to  be  ashamed  of  yourselves.  I  never 
dreamed  any  students  of  Brill  could  be  so  bad. 
I  shall  report  to  Doctor  Wallington  without 
delay." 

Charter  had  been  as  good  as  his  word,  and 
had  been  closeted  with  the  head  of  the  college 
for  an  hour.  The  girls  went  back  with  Tom,' 
Dick  and  Sam,  and  also  had  an  interview  with 
the  president.  Then  Doctor  Wallington  sent 
for  Flockley,  Koswell  and  Larkspur.  Only 
Flockley  answered  the  summons,  and  it  was 
learned  that  Koswell  and  Larkspur  were  afraid 
to  come  back,  fearing  arrest.  Parwick  had  also 
disappeared.  Then  had  come  a  telegram  from 
Dan  Baxter  giving  the  address  of  the  druggist,. 
Schlemp.  Word  was  sent  to  this  man,  and  later 
he  wrote  that  Parwick  had  once  worked  for  him, 
but  had  been  discharged  for  drunkenness  and  be- 
cause he  was  not  honest. 

The  interview  between  Doctor  Wallington 
and  Flockley  was  a  most  affecting  one.  The 
dudish  student  broke  down  utterly,  and  con- 
fessed all.  He  said  Koswell  had  hatched  out 
the  plot,  aided  by  Larkspur,  and  that  he  himself 
had  been  a  more  or  less  unwilling  participant. 
He  told  much  about  Parwick,  and  how  that  dis- 
solute fellow  had  spoken  of  having  the  strange 
powder,  which  was  a  Japanese  concoction,  and 


288  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

which,  if  used  often,  would  render  a  person  in- 
sane. He  begged  the  good  doctor  to  forgive 
him  and  said  he  would  be  willing  to  do  anything 
in  order  to  remain  at  Brill. 

"My  father  will  never  forgive  me  if  I  am  dis- 
missed," he  said  in  a  broken  voice. 

"But  supposing  I  had  dismissed  the  Rovers 
and  Stanley  Browne?"  asked  the  doctor  se- 
verely. 

"Yes,  yes,  I  know,  sir!"  wailed  Flockley. 
"But,  oh,  sir,  don't  send  me  away!  I'll  do  any- 
thrng  if  you'll  let  me  stay!" 

"I  will  think  it  over,"  answered  the  head  of 
Brill  shortly.  And  thus  Flockley  was  dismissed 
from  the  office. 

"It  was  certainly  a  wicked  piece  of  work," 
said  Songbird  to  the  others  in  the  room.  "I 
really  think  somebody  ought  to  be  arrested." 

Tom  was  about  to  speak  when  a  footstep 
sounded  in  the  hall,  and  a  knock  on  the  door 
followed.  Sam  opened  the  portal,  to  behold 
Flockley  standing  there,  hat  in  hand.  The  dud- 
ish  student  was  as  white  as  the  wall,  his  cloth- 
ing looked  dishevelled,  and  his  shoes  were  un- 
blacked,  a  great  contrast  to  the  Flockley  of 
old. 

"What  do  you  want?"  asked  Sam  abruptly. 

"I  want — I  want "  commenced  Flockley 


A  BEGINNING  AND  AN  ENDING  289 

brokenly.  Then  he  stepped  into  the  room  and 
confronted  Dick.  "Oh,  Rover!"  he  cried,  "won't 
you — won't  you  please,  please  get  Doctor  Wal- 
lington  to  let  me  stay  at  Brill?  Please  don't 
let  him  send  me  home!  I'll  do  anything — apolo- 
gize, get  down  on  my  knees,  if  you  like — but 
please  help  me  to  stay  here!" 

Flockley  caught  Dick  by  the  arm  and  con- 
tinued to  plead,  and  then  he  entreated  Sam, 
Tom,  and  Stanley,  also.  It  was  a  truly  affecting 
scene.  They  all  commenced  to  speak.  He  had 
been  so  mean,  wicked,  so  unlike  a  decent  col- 
lege fellow,  how  could  they  forgive  him? 

And  then  came  a  pause,  and  during  that  pause 
a  distant  church  bell  sounded  out,  full  and  clear, 
across  the  hills  surrounding  Brill.  Dick  listened, 
and  so  did  his  brothers  and  Stanley,  and  the 
anger  in  their  faces  died  down. 

"Well,  I'm  willing  you  should  stay,"  said 
Dick,  "and  I'll  speak  to  the  doctor  about  it,  if 
you  wish." 

"And  so  will  I,"  added  Sam  and  Tom,  and 
Stanley  nodded. 

"But  you  ought  to  cut  such  fellows  as  Kos- 
well  and  Larkspur,"  said  Tom. 

"I  will!    I  will!"  said  Flockley  earnestly. 

The  Rovers  and  Stanley  Browne  were  as  good 
as  their  word.  On  the  following  day  they  had 


290  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

another  interview  with  the  head  of  the  college 
and  spoke  of  Flackley. 

"Well,  if  you  desire  it,  he  can  remain,"  said 
Doctor  Wallington.  "As  for  Koswell  and  Lark- 
spur, I  doubt  if  they  wish  to  return,  since  they 
have  not  yet  shown  themselves.  You  can  prose- 
cute  them  if  you  wish." 

"No,  we  don't  want  to  do  that,"  said  Dick. 
"We  have  talked  it  over,  and  we  think,  for  the 
honor  of  Brill,  the  least  said  the  better." 

"That  conclusion  does  you  much  credit,  and 
I  feel  greatly  relieved,"  said  the  head  of  the  col- 
lege. He  turned  to  Tom.  "You  are,  of  course, 
reinstated,  Thomas,  and  I  shall  see  to  it  that  the 
marks  placed  against  your  name  are  wiped  out. 
I  sincerely  trust  that  you  and  Professor  Sharp 
will  allow  bygones  to  be  bygones,  and  will  make 
a  new  beginning." 

"I'm  willing,"  answered  Tom.  And  a  little 
later  he  entered  one  of  the  classrooms  and  he 
and  Professor  Sharp  shook  hands.  After  school 
Professor  Blackie  came  up  and  shook  hands  all 
around. 

"I  am  glad  to  know  you  are  exonerated,"  said 
that  professor.  "This  has  taught  me  a  lesson, 
to  take  nothing  for  granted,"  he  added. 

When  the  truth  became  known  many  of  the 
students  flocked  around  the  Rovers  and  Stanley 


A  BEGINNING  AND  AN  ENDING          291 

and  Songbird,  and  congratulated  them  on  the 
outcome  of  the  affair.  Flockley  did  not  show 
himself  for  a  long  time,  excepting  at  meals  and 
during  class  hours. 

"He  feels  his  position  keenly,"  said  Dick. 
"Well,  I  hope  he  turns  over  a  new  leaf." 

"A  telegram  for  Richard  Rover,"  said  one  o{ 
the  teachers  to  the  boys  a  few  days  later. 

""Wonder  what's  up  now?"  mused  Dick  as  he 
tore  open  the  yellow  envelope.  He  read  the  slip 
inside.  "Hurrah!  This  is  the  best  news  yet!" 
he  cried. 

"\Vhat  is  it?"  asked  Tom  and  Sam. 

"The  injunction  against  the  Stanhopes  and 
the  Lanings  is  dissolved  by  the  court.  They 
can  keep  the  fortune.  Tad  Sobber  has  had  his 
case  thrown  out  of  court!" 

"Say,  that's  great!"  ejaculated  Tom,  and  in 
the  fullness  of  his  spirits  he  turned  a  handspring. 

"I  reckon  that's  the  end  of  Mr.  Tad  Sobber," 
said  Sam.  But  the  youngest  Rover  was  mis- 
taken. Though  beaten  in  court,  Sobber  did  not 
give  up  all  idea  of  gaining  possession  of  the  for- 
tune, and  what  he  did  next  will  be  related  in 
another  volume,  to  be  called  "The  Rover  Boys 
Down  East;  Or,  The  Struggle  for  the  Stanhope 
Fortune."  In  that  book  we  shall  also  meet 
Jerry  Koswell  and  Bart  Larkspur  once  more, 


292  THE  RO VER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

and  learn  how  they  tried  again  to  injure  our 
friends. 

But  for  the  time  being  all  went  well,  and  the 
Rover  boys  were  exceedingly  happy.  As  soon 
as. possible  they  met  the  girls,  and  all  spent  a. 
happy  half  day  in  taking  another  ride  in  an  auto- 
mobile. From  Flockley  they  gradually  learned 
how  Koswell  and  Larkspur  had  done  many  mean 
things,  including  putting  the  glass  in  the  road- 
way, and  using  the  pencil  box  out  of  Tom's 
dress-suit  case. 

"Vacation  will  soon  be  at  hand,"  cried  Sam 
one  day,  "and  then " 

"We'll  have  the  best  time  ever  known,"  fin- 
ished Tom. 

"Ah,  vacation  time,"  put  in  Songbird.  "I 
have  composed  some  verses  about  that  season. 
They  run  like  this " 

"Not  to-day,  Songbird,"  interrupted  Dick. 
"I've  got  to  bone  away  at  my  geometry." 

"Then  hurry  up,  Dick,"  said  Sam.  "I  want 
you  to  come  and  play  ball." 

"Ball  it  is — in  half  an  hour,"  answered  Dick. 
"And  then,"  he  added  softly  to  himself,  "then  I, 
guess  I'll  write  a  good  long  letter  to  Dora." 


THE  END 


Tfiis  Isn't  All! 


Would  you  like  to  know  what 
became  of  the  good  friends  you 
have  made  in  this  book? 

Would  you  like  to  read  other 
stories  continuing  their  adventures 
and  experiences,  or  other  books 
quite  as  entertaining  by  the  same 
author  ? 

On  the  reverse  side  of  the  wrap- 
per which  comes  with  this  book, 
you  will  find  a  wonderful  list  of 
stories  which  you  can  buy  at  the 
same  store  where  you  got  this  book. 

Don't  throw  away  the  Wrapper 

Use  it  as  a  handy  catalog  of  the  books 
you  want  some  day  to  have.  <3$ut  in 
case  you  do  mislay  it,  write  to  the 
Tublishers  for  a  complete  catalog. 


THE  HARDY  BOYS  SERIES 

By  FRANKLIN  W.  DIXON 

Illustrated.     Every  Volume  Complete  in  Itself 

The  Hardy  Boys  are  sons  of  a  celebrated  American 
detective,  and  during  vacations  and  their  off  time  from 
school  they  help  their  father  by  hunting  down  clues  them- 
selves. 

THE  TOWER  TREASURE — A'dying  criminal  confessed  that 
his  loot  had  been  secreted  "  in  the  tower."  It  remained  for  the 
Hardy  Boys  to  clear  up  the  mystery. 

THE  HOUSE  ON  THE  CLIFF— Mr.  Hardy  started  to  invest- 
igate — and  disappeared !  An  odd  tale,  with  plenty  of  excitement. 

THE  SECRET  OF  THE  OLD  MILL— Counterfeit  money  was 
in  circulation,  and  the  limit  was  reached  when  Mrs.  Hardy  took 
some  from  a  stranger.  A  tale  full  of  thrills. 

THE  MISSING  CHUMS— Two  of  the  Hardy  Boys'  chums 
disappear  and  are  almost  rescued  by  their  friends  when  all  are 
captured.  A  thrilling  story  of  adventure. 

HUNTING  FOR  HIDDEN  GOLD— In  tracing  some  stolen 
gold  the  trail  leads  the  boys  to  an  abandoned  mine,  and  there 
things  start  to  happen. 

THE  SHORE  ROAD  MYSTERY— Automobiles  were  disap- 
pearing most  mysteriously  from  the  Shore  Road.  It  remained  for 
the  Hardy  Boys  to  solve  the  mystery. 

THE  SECRET  OF  THE  CAVES— When  the  boys  reached 
the  caves  they  came  unexpectedly  upon  a  queer  old  hermit. 

THE  MYSTERY  OF  CABIN  ISLAND— A  story  of  queer 
adventures  on  a  rockbound  island. 

THE  GREAT  AIRPORT  MYSTERY— The  Hardy  Boys  solve 
the  mystery  of  the  disappearance  of  some  valuable  mail. 

WHAT  HAPPENED  AT  MIDNIGHT— The  boys  follow  a 
trail  that  ends  in  a  strange  and  exciting  situation. 

WHILE  THE  CLOCK  TICKED— The  Hardy  Boys  aid  in  vin- 
dicating a  man  who  has  been  wrongly  accused  of  a  crime. 

FOOTPRINTS  UNDER  THE  WINDOW— The  Smuggling 
of  Chinese  into  this  country  is  the  basis  of  this  story  in  which  the 
boys  find  thrills  and  excitement  aplenty. 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,  Publishers,  NEW  YORK 


TED  SCOTT  FLYING  STORIES 

By  FRANKLIN  W.  DIXON 

Illustrated.     Each  Volume  Complete  in  Itself. 

No  subject  has  so  thoroughly  caught  the  imagination  of 
young  America  as  aviation.  This  series  has  been  inspired 
by  recent  daring  feats  of  the  air,  and  is  dedicated  to 
Lindbergh,  Byrd,  Chamberlin  and  other  heroes  of  the  skies. 

OVER  THE  OCEAN  TO  PARIS; 

or,  Ted  Scott's  Daring  Long  Distance  Flight. 

RESCUED  IN  THE  CLOUDS; 

or,  Ted  Scott,  Hero  of  the  Air. 

OVER  THE  ROCKIES  WITH  THE  AIR  MAIL; 

or,   Ted  Scott  Lost  in  the  Wilderness. 

FIRST  STOP  HONOLULU; 

or,  Ted  Scott  Over  the  Pacific. 

THE  SEARCH  FOR  THE  LOST  FLYERS; 

or,  Ted  Scott  Ovtr  the  West  Indies. 

SOUTH  OF  THE  RIO  GRANDE; 

or,  Ted  Scolt  On  a  Secret  Mission. 

ACROSS  THE  PACIFIC ; 

or,  Ted  Scott's  Hop  to  Australia. 

THE  LONE  EAGLE  OF  THE  BORDER ; 

or,  Ted  Scott  and  the  Diamond  Smugglers. 

FLYING  AGAINST  TIME; 

or,  Breaking  the  Ocean  to  Ocean  Record. 

OVER  THE  JUNGLE  TRAILS ; 

or,  Ted  Scott  and  the  Missing  Explorers. 

LOST  AT  THE  SOUTH  POLE; 

or,  Ted  Scott  in  Blizzard  Land. 

THROUGH  THE  AIR  TO  ALASKA; 

or,  Ted  Scott's  Search  in  Nugget  Valley. 

FLYING  TO  THE  RESCUE ; 

or,  Ted  Scott  and  the  Big  Dirigible. 

DANGER  TRAILS  OF  THE  SKY; 

or,  Ted  Scott's  Great  Mountain  Climb. 

FOLLOWING  THE  SUN  SHADOW; 

or,  Ted  Scott  and  the  Great  Eclipse. 

BATTLING  THE  WIND; 

or,  Ted  Scott  Flying  Around  Cape  Horn.       

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,  PUBLISHERS,  NEW  YORK 


THE  AVIATION  SERIES 

By  JOHN  PRENTICE  LANGLEY 


Here  is  an  intensely  exciting  series  on  a  topic  of  world- 
wide interest — Aviation.  Every  day  one  hears  of  new  stunts 
accomplished  by  pilots.  With  the  passing  of  each  year 
new  records  in  altitude  and  long  distance  are  made.  In 
these  stories  Amos  Green  and  his  chum,  Danny  Cooper, 
accomplish  all  the  thrilling  deeds  of  the  air  that  have 
been  done  before  only  by  hardened  veterans.  Moreover, 
backed  by  the  mysterious  "  Mr.  Carstairs  "  they  succeed  in 
doing  stunts  new  to  the  history  of  aviation.  You'll  find 
them  vastly  exciting. 

TRAIL  BLAZERS  OF  THE  SKIES 
SPANNING  THE  PACIFIC 
MASTERS  THE  AIR-LANES 
THE  PATHFINDER'S  GREAT  FLIGHT 
AIR  VOYAGERS  OF  THE  ARCTIC 
DESERT  HAWKS  ON  THE  WING 
CHASING  THE  SETTING  SUN 
BRIDGING  THE  SEVEN  SEAS 
THE  STAIRCASE  OF  THE  WIND 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,  PUBLISHERS,  NEW  YORK 


BOB  CHASE  BIG  GAME  SERIES 

By  FRANK  A.  WARNER 


In  these  thrilling  stories  of  outdoor  life  the  hero  is  a 
young  lumberjack  who  is  a  crack  rifle  shot.  While 
tracking  game  in  the  Maine  woods  he  does  some  rich 
hunters  a  great  service.  They  become  interested  in  him 
and  take  him  on  various  hunting  expeditions  in  this 
country  and  abroad.  Bob  learns  what  it  is  to  face  not 
only  wildcats,  foxes  and  deer  but  also  bull  moose, 
Rocky  Mountain  grizzly  bears  and  many  other  species 
of  big  game. 

BOB  CHASE  WITH  THE  BIG  MOOSE  HUNTERS 
BOB  CHASE  AFTER  GRIZZLY  BEARS 
BOB  CHASE  IN  THE  TIGER'S  LAIR 
BOB  CHASE  WITH  THE  LION  HUNTERS 


GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,    PUBLISHERS,   NEW  YORK 


BUDDY    BOOKS   FOR  BOYS 

Illustrated.     Individual   Colored  Wrappers 

Tales  of  Western  pioneer  days  and  the  California  gold 
fields  ;  tales  of  mystery,  humor,  adventure ;  thrilling  stories 
of  sports  and  aviation.  There  is  a  wide  range  of  subjects 
in  this  list  of  titles — all  by  well-known  authors  of  books 
for  boys. 

HOT  DOG  PARTNERS By  William  Heyliger 

YOUNG  EAGLE  OF  THE  TRAIL By  J.  Allan  Dunn 

THE  LAND  OF  MONSTERS By  Harold  M.  Sherman 

QUARTERBACK  HOTHEAD By  William  Heyliger 

LEFTY  LEIGHTON By  Percy  Keese  Fitzhugh 

NUMBER  44 By  Harold  M.  Sherman 

BILL  DARROW'S  VICTORY By  William  Heyliger 

THE  STORY  OF  TERRIBLE  TERRY.  ..By  Percy  Keese  Fitzhugh 

BEYOND  THE  DOG'S  NOSE By  Harold  M.  Sherman 

DING  PALMER,  AIR  DETECTIVE By  Harold  M.  Sherman 

BEAN-BALL  BILL By  William  Heyliger 

CAMERON  MacBAIN,  BACKWOODSMAN 

By  Harold  M.  Sherman 

FLYING  HEELS By  Harold  M.  Sherman 

FLASHING  STEEL By  Harold  M.  Sherman 

BUFFALO  BOY By  J.  Allan  Dunn 

THE  CLOUD  PATROL. By  Irving  Crump 

SPIFFY  HENSHAW By  Percy  Keese  Fitzhugh 

THE  PILOT  OF  THE  CLOUD  PATROL. By  Irving  Crump 

DON  RADER,  TRAIL  BLAZER By  Harold  M.  Sherman 

TUCK  SIMMS,  FORTY-NINER By  Edward  Leonard 

WIGWAG  WEIGAND By  Percy  Keese  Fitzhugh 

HERVEY  WILLETTS By  Percy  Keese  Fitzhugh 

SKINNY  McCORD By  Percy  Keese  Fitzhugh 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,    Publishers,    NEW  YORK 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 

~~"~"~~"~ ~"^ — — — — — — 

NO  PHON^  RENEWALS 

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AUG131986 


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031991 


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